Bread from Heaven
18TH Sunday Ordinary
Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Psalm 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54
Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
John 6:24-35
Good morning, everybody! I bet you’ve all seen this stuff at home. It’s good old sandwich bread. I usually like mine with a lot of peanut butter and just a little grape jelly. But, if I was really hungry, I think a plain slice of bread would do the trick. Even a plain piece of sandwich bread tastes good when you get really hungry, and it stops your hunger. But this bread doesn’t keep us from getting hungry again sometime later.
Every day, we get hungry. We need food. That’s just a fact. It would be great if food fell from the sky. You know, that actually happened one time! Way back in the day, God fed the Israelites by sending bread from heaven. It literally rained bread! They would collect and eat the bread so they were no longer hungry.
That happened a long time ago. But did you know that God has sent us, me and you, bread from heaven, too? In our Bible story, Jesus says he is the true bread from heaven. He didn’t mean that he was like this sandwich bread. He wasn’t talking about the kind of bread that stops our tummy hunger. He is the kind of bread that stops our spiritual hunger. You see, we’re all hungry for God’s love, kindness, care, and grace. When we have Jesus in our lives, we are no longer hungry for those things because he fills us up! When Jesus is in our hearts, we aren’t hungry anymore because we are full of his love for us.
Let’s pray: Thank you, Jesus, for being the true bread of life that fills us up with God’s love. In the name of our Father-Mother, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God Bless.
Amen.
June 11, 2023
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16
Responsorial Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
John 6:51-58
Whenever I read this scripture or any of the many passages about the Eucharist, I remember my experience some twenty years ago as a young social worker. My job was to visit and assist women who had been homeless and now were part of a program where they shared an apartment with another woman. At the same time, each looked for work, maintained sobriety, and learned living skills they had forgotten or never learned. The deep cause of homelessness is the loss of community, the loss of any family or friends who are still willing to help a person return to any sense of normalcy as you and I would think of it. Once a single man or woman becomes homeless, recovering a job or home isn't easy. My clients did that with the help of this program. The day that stands out in my memory is when I was visiting a woman in her apartment. It was sparse with bare furniture: a couch, table and chairs, beds, and dressers. There were a few pictures on the wall. Personalizing their apartment with a few photos, plastic flowers, or anything decorative was a sign that the house was beginning to be home. This day, my client asked me to sit at the table and offered me a drink and a sandwich. I don't remember what kind; it did not matter. What mattered was that this woman felt rich enough to share what she had with me. We were sharing the Eucharist. I felt honored and blessed. Jesus was with us in that room.
The origin of the celebration of the Eucharist is said to date to the Lord's supper. In the middle of the second century, Justin Martyr gives the oldest description of a ritual that we would recognize today. With the conversion of Constantine the Great, in approximately 410, the Eucharist became a central part of Christian life.
In the New Testament, there are four accounts of the institution of the Eucharist, the earliest by St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians[13], which links it back to the Last Supper. There are three in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke referencing the same Last Supper scripture stating: "While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Luke and Paul records explicitly the command to "do this as my memorial". Neither Gospel specifies whether the Eucharist should be celebrated annually, like Passover, or more often.
Chapters 13-17 of the Gospel of John attribute to Jesus a series of teachings and prayers at his Last Supper but do not mention any meal rituals. On the other hand, John 6, in particular verses such as 6:55-56 ("For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him,") is widely interpreted as an allusion to the Eucharist.[16] Throughout scripture, there are many references by and about Jesus being the Bread of Life.
These verses 51-58 have been hotly debated passages. The dispute focuses on whether these verses refer to the eating and drinking of the Eucharist, especially with no reference in this passage of Jesus' words regarding his body and blood at the Last Supper.
There is good reason to treat the theme of eating and drinking throughout this text as a metaphor for belief in Jesus. Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin read this text this way. Eating and drinking Jesus' flesh and blood as a metaphor for faith- the Eucharist is life-giving as it draws us to a deeper relationship with Jesus.
The Eucharist is life-giving because it draws us deeper into a relationship with Jesus. It is Jesus who gives his Body and Blood. It is life-giving because Jesus gives it so we may "abide" there (verse 56.) There can be no proper understanding of the Eucharist apart from this life-giving participation in the life and the death of Jesus himself.
Jesus taught of the new Kingdom of God, the Father of everyone. His teaching was made real through sharing meals with the rich, the poor, tax collectors, good people, sinners, robbers, prostitutes, and lepers. He had no boundaries on his love. Sharing meals and breaking bread was how he taught the love of God.
If we believe the Eucharist is only the meal of the body and blood of Christ, we miss the richness of the Word, giving us the gift of faith and the love of Christ and God. We break bread with our families, work partners, friends, and partners daily. Breaking bread is more than eating; it is sharing ourselves. At Good Shepherd, we have Open Communion. We invite all who desire to receive the Eucharist to the table without question. We picture Jesus sharing a meal with everyone who seeks a closer relationship with God, a more intimate relationship with each other, and a closer relationship with the earth. God Bless.
Amen.
July 23, 2023
Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
Responsorial Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16
Roman 8:26-27
Matthew 13:24-43
Welcome again to Grace Trinity. Today, the scripture tells us, “He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples, he explained everything.”
Many proverbs and parables are attributed to Jesus, from six to 40 or more. Much of it depends on what is considered a proverb, a parable, or a story. The parables and proverbs He tells are meant to teach a lesson, not taken literally, but for each of us to apply to our circumstances.
A proverb is a short sentence founded upon long experience to teach us lessons. A proverb is a phrase encoded with knowledge. Listeners use their personal life experiences as the keys to unlock it. My grandmother was full of little proverbs- some were hers, and some, I am sure, were passed on to her by her elders. I have a book of 337 of her thoughts, verses, and sayings. I was looking at it the other night, and I found one that I liked- “The sins of the stomach are visited unto the body.” Another proverb might be “A stitch in time saves nine,” or “The grass is always greener on the other side.” Or “Watch what you wish for.” Luke 4:23 says “Physician, heal thyself.” Wisdom is passed down through the ages.The goal of the book of Proverbs "is to teach the acquisition of knowledge.
Parables are short stories that teach us moral or spiritual lessons. They teach us practical, basic truths. They can give advice, can be witty or serious, and often entertaining. They use narratives as a teaching tool. Jesus used parables to teach lessons to his people. Each person could hear the meaning for themselves.
“The Good Samaritan parable and the parable we heard last week of the farmer who sowed seeds that fell on the rocky ground, in the thorns and rich soil, resulting in one seed dying, one seed being chocked out, and one seed flourishing are just two examples of the many parables attributed to Jesus, as recorded in the four gospels.
Through speaking in parables, Jesus grants understanding to those who are seeking after Him – revealing the truth to those who are willing to listen and thoughtfully consider what He has to say. Conversely, those whose hearts are hardened against Him have the truth hidden.
My mother taught my sisters and brothers through such parables. I am sure you remember your mother doing the same with you. The story of three little pigs-huff, puff, and blow your house down. Straw, sticks, and bricks. Moral-do all you do with a strong foundation. I got different meanings as I grew. I had a better understanding with my age. Jesus knew that his followers would learn from him at their own pace. And through our own experiences.
In today's Gospel, Jesus tells a story about a wheat field where weeds sprout among grain shoots. Matthew uses the Greek weeds—known today as the darnel, a wild rice grass plentiful in Israel. Darnel is particularly problematic because the difference between it and natural wheat is evident only well into the growing cycle after the plants mature and the ears appear. The ears of the real wheat are heavy and will droop, while the ears of the darnel stand up straight. In the agricultural society of Jesus' time, without modern weed killers, a farmer had no other option but to let the matured darnel and the wheat, with their roots intertwined, continue their growth.
Interestingly, the first question in today’s Gospel parable that the laborers ask upon discovering the weeds is not “What shall we do?" but “Why did this happen?". We often want to know why God allows shootings, child abuse, and evil. Jesus does not answer those questions, but we are comforted by St. Paul in his writings. I believe God does not allow evil but gave us free will, and how we use it can result in good or evil. We can sow excellent or lousy seeds, weeds or flowers, happy or dissatisfied hearts. In seeking God, we are praising with our hearts and weeding out our discontent.
Jesus proposed another parable to them. "The realm of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown, it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
The mustard seed is tiny and multiplies. But as the mustard seed grows large, so do those with little faith can grow great in their relationship with God. Jesus traveled and spoke to all who would listen. A small group of Jesus's followers would grow to the millions of Christians today.
He spoke to them another parable.
"The realm of heaven is like yeast that a person took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
This is the shortest of Jesus’ parables. In Jesus' time, there was no convenient packaged yeast. Back then, people took a piece of stale bread and put it in a dark corner until it was moldy, after which they used the moldy fungus as the leaven for their next batch of bread. So Jesus was saying that just as something smelly and corrupt could produce a vast amount of bread (nourishment), so too could common folk – His followers – transform not only Israel but the entire world. The leaven yeast works silently, unseen under the cover of the bowl. In our quiet growth in Christ, each of us can be powerful. We are given all that we need to grow and understand God. Jesus is always with you. God Bless. Amen
AUGUST 13, 2023
Reading I: 1st Kings 19:9, 11-13
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 85:9-14
Reading II: Romans 9:1-5
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33
This week, we continue our journey moving from fear to faith; we are strengthened in the readings today by assurances that God is everywhere, dwells in every heart, and reaches out to everyone.
In today's readings, Elijah, Paul, and Peter all share the emotions we all have faced: overwhelmed and helpless. But they also received God's Grace and Power and knew God's peace.
We first encounter Elijah in a fierce battle against the king and queen of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel. These two power-hungry rulers violate the Covenant, desecrate the sacred altars, kill the prophets, and lead Israel into worshiping false gods. Ahab and Jezebel vengefully seek his death for criticizing Jezebel’s husband's worship of false gods. Elijah is fleeing for his life. God comes to him and listens to his fears and anxiety with compassion as he rests.
Elijah is then led to God’s Mountain and told to wait for God to “pass by.”
He experiences a ferocious wind, a great earthquake, and a fire. God does not appear in any of those. Then there is a “gentle whisper.” God is there. Elijah recognizes his communion with God. God asks Elijah, “What are you doing here?” In her scriptural comments this week, Sister Sara Fairbanks poses questions Elijah might be asking himself after escaping death. I pose those questions to you now:
What do you value most?
What gives you meaning and purpose?
Who are you, and whose are you?
What larger story are you a part of?
Elijah answers these questions by rededicating himself to God. By his actions, teaching God’s word, and participating in God’s world with love, tolerance, and compassion. God’s question to you is, "What are you doing here?”
How committed are you to the silence of prayer and reflection so that God can reveal Himself to you?
In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul wanted all to find the fulfillment of Christ that he did on the road to Damascus. He surrendered himself to God and found serenity in that trust. Are you willing to surrender to God’s love and accept the serenity gleaned from that trust?
The disciples in our Gospel must have been so frightened to see Jesus walking on the water toward them. There was a ghost! Indeed, a ghost! Peter was the one to speak up and question this apparition walking toward them. Jesus replied, “Do not be afraid; it's Me." In disbelief, Peter challenged Jesus. “If it is You, command me to come to You walking on the water.” Peter, with faith, stepped out of the boat and took a few steps. But doubt crept in on his faith, and he cried out to Jesus. Jesus took his hand to save him.
When have we had total faith and trust in God? When have we faltered? In the 3rd step of Alcohol Anonymous, it states, "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” Having trust in God doesn’t mean only when things are going well. It doesn’t mean the 911 God that we try to trust in the hard times. It is a decision to be with God; however, we understand God. At all times, like a marriage vow, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health.
Jesus is with us when we have strong faith and when our faith falters. We believe and profess that Jesus is the Son of God.
How can we better live thatin our daily lives? God Bless.
Amen.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 18:25-28
Responsorial Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to Philippians 2: 1-11
Gospel: Matthew 21: 28-32
When I was a child, we lived in a trailer park. There was a washhouse with hand crank washers. There was also a pop machine. We were supposed to drink the pop and return the bottle to the case on the floor so the park owner could get a refund on the bottles. It was about two cents back then. One of my friends, an older girl, told me it would be okay if we took the empties and turned them in at the corner "little" store to buy candy. I thought that was a splendor of an idea. So, we did and bought candy.
I took mine home and was eating it when my mother asked me where I got it. Not knowing it was wrong, I honestly told her I got it from the corner store. She asked where I got the money to buy it. I explained everything.
She was less than pleased, but her wise parenting led her to tell me that it was wrong; it was stealing, and she took me back to the store with the uneaten candy. I had to explain to the owner that I had to return it because it was purchased with the money we got from trading in the bottles. I asked him for the money back, and after a little lecture, he gave it back to me.
Then, my mother marched me to the home of the owner of the washhouse. I had to give the money back and tell him why. He banned me from the washhouse for a few weeks on the promise that I would never do that again. I don't know what happened to my friend.
My mother gave me a lesson in honesty. She was teaching me the very lesson that Ezekiel was teaching. Turning from wrong to right. Looking at my actions from another point of view.
Turning away changes our hearts and minds from mistakes to good. Change is not easy, including job, school, marital status, and all of it. The transformation of self—values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors are even more challenging. Ezekiel told the Israelites that despite what they had done, they could change and turn back to God. God forgives.
John Henry Newman -- himself a convert to Christianity, and thus having a profound understanding of what it means to choose another path -- put it this way: "To live is to change," he wrote. "And to be perfect is to have changed often." And he wrote elsewhere that God has called each of us to something extraordinary- to live out God's will for our lives.
Philippians calls us to do this. Turn away from "it's all about me" attitudes to attitudes of the importance of others' needs and wants. To live one of the most important commandments in scripture: "Love One Another, as I have loved.” Jesus did that. He thought of others, preaching, healing, and being with them. If we previously may have said to God: "I will not go into your vineyard," we still have time to reverse that decision. God forgives.
This parable in the Gospel of St. Matthew 21:28-32 was intended to show the hypocrisy of the chief priests and elders of the Jews and the perilous position in which they stood with God and heaven. It is, however, a warning against hypocrisy for all time. Lip service of God will not merit God's grace.
There is a saying, "Your actions speak so loud that I cannot hear your words."
REFLECTION: What were my actions this past week? Can it be said that I have 'changed my heart' and that I proclaim, by my words andactions, that 'Jesus is Lord of my life'? What do I want my actions and words to be this week?
God Bless. Amen
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