HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year B)

Aug 4, 2024

135436

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First Reading

A reading from the second Book of Exodus (16:2-4, 12-15)

The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "Would that we had died at the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!"

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not.

"I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread, so that you may know that I, the Lord, am your God."

In the evening quail came up and covered the camp. In the morning a dew lay all about the camp, and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground. On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, "What is this?" for they did not know what it was. But Moses told them, "This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54)

(R) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

What we have heard and know, and what our fathers have declared to us, we will declare to the generation to come, the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength and the wonders that he wrought. (R)

He commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven; he rained manna upon them for food and gave them heavenly bread. (R)

Man ate the bread of angels, food he sent them in abundance. And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountains his right hand had won. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (4:17, 20-24)

Brothers and sisters: I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds, that is not how you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (6:24-35)

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal" So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat." So Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which come down from heaven and gives life to the world." So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Today's gospel, John (6:24-35) presents a dialogue between Jesus and the people and it takes place the day after Jesus had fed them with five loaves of bread and two fish. We do not know how the miracle happened. We only believe that through the power of God Jesus was able to do it. The story ended with people exclaiming Jesus as the Prophet coming into the world, Deuteronomy (18:15) and intending to make him their king by force. Knowing their intention, Jesus went off alone to a mountain.

In Jesus' time, the Jewish belief was that the Prophet predicted by Moses would be the Messiah and that He would come with new teaching, power and glory. Jesus was truly the Messiah that Moses and other prophets had spoken about, and He demonstrated this by displaying power over illnesses, diseases, demons, sin and death but the people were not ready to accept Him as such. However, they were so excited about Jesus miraculously feeding so many people that they wanted him to be their king. So obviously, the next day, they went looking for him, and when they eventually found him, they wanted to know how and when Jesus left the place where the feeding occurred. Instead of answering their question, Jesus responded saying that they were looking for Him not because they had recognized the miracle as the sign of the Messiah, but rather in the hope of being fed again. So, he exhorted them not to "work for food that perishes but work for the food that endures for eternal life, which He Himself would provide," John (6:27). By this, Jesus did not mean that they should not work for everyday livelihood and well-being, but rather that this should not be the ultimate goal in their lives. In his kindness and compassion, Jesus was more willing to provide food, but not the kind of food they were expecting. He wanted to fill them with the food that would nourish them now and through eternity. He wanted to teach them the way to be happy, find peace, and return to live with God.

Now, when they heard Jesus saying "work for eternal food" they asked him what specific works they needed to do in order to obtain it, John (6:28). Here the Jews, who were typically known for their strict observance of traditional Jewish law and rituals, probably wanted to know the kind of rituals and obligations they ought to do that they might please God. But Jesus told them that all they would have to do is to believe in the one God has sent, John (6:29). Of course, the one who was sent by God was Jesus Himself. So, here Jesus directed them to believe in Him and acknowledge Him to be the true Messiah, and to rely upon Him alone for eternal life. But they doubted Him and demanded him to show them a sign to prove Who He was, John (6:30).

It is surprising they wanted a sign, given that they had already witnessed so many healings besides the feeding of the crowd which were a testament to His divine power. Not satisfied with the miracles Jesus was doing, they demanded something even greater. They wanted Jesus to provide the same kind of bread or "manna" that Moses gave their ancestors while they were in the desert, John (6:31). Jesus, however, did not give what they were seeking and instead corrected their misinterpretation, saying that it was God not Moses who provided the manna, but it was not the true bread from heaven because the true bread from heaven comes from God. That is, the manna only gave temporary, physical life whereas the true bread that comes from God gives life to the world. Thus, Jesus used the metaphor of bread that is necessary for physical life, and then expanded it to the idea of spiritual life and presented himself as the "bread of God" that comes down from heaven to provide spiritual sustenance and eternal life to all people. Even so, the people completely missed the point. They once again asked for something material, rather than spiritual. They asked Jesus for this bread always, John (6:32-34).

At this point Jesus told them that He Himself is the Bread of Life they seek and that whoever comes to Him and believes in Him would be totally satisfied; they would never hunger and never thirst for more. Here, of course, Jesus was not referring to physical hunger or thirst, for those who do come and believe in Him still need to eat and drink. Rather, He was referring to the spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst for which He is the ultimate cure, John (6:35). Thus, Jesus was offering something far greater and far superior to what Moses had offered in the desert.

What is the message for us?

This dialogue between Jesus and the crowd reminds us that our seeking is also perhaps as confused and misguided as the crowd over two thousand years ago. Instead of desiring and pursuing more of God and His attributes such as kindness, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, faithfulness, patience, humility, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude, we tend to seek more and more of material goods, earthly treasures, fame, glory, and achievements which have no lasting value and which will eventually pass away. We forget that we human beings consist of not only body, but of spirit and soul as well. Jesus says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God," Matthew (4:4) and Luke (4:4). That is, we need more than just food and material goods to truly live. We need spiritual nourishment. Therefore, let us seek heavenly and spiritual things instead of the passing things of earth. Remember, the real purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to bring us back to God and to give us eternal life.
Jesus Christ worked and continues to work miracles through His apostles and His saints throughout the centuries up until today, and He will continue doing so until the end of the age. He has worked sufficient miracles and wonders in our own lives. Every night many people sleep and don't wake up in the morning. So, being alive every morning itself is a miracle. Every breath we take is a miracle. Just sitting here, we breathe in and breathe out effortlessly. Having good health is a miracle. Arriving at a destination safely is a miracle. Albert Einstein says, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
For us Christians everything is a miracle from God. If we look at things with eyes of faith and beyond logic, we can see numerous miracles all around us. Unfortunately, sometimes our mindset is the same as that of the crowd that followed Jesus. We overlook and take for granted the miraculous things God does every day. Faced with certain teachings of Christ that we don't like, we obstinately refuse to accept them without extraordinary proof or evidence. We tend to say, "I will believe if God shows me this or that miracle or another miracle." In saying so, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. Jesus calls such people "a wicked and adulterous generation," Matthew (16:4). Those who refuse to believe, prior to a miracle, will not believe, even after a miracle. Remember, just as He knew the thoughts and purposes of the crowd, Jesus knows our reasons for following Him. So, let us not seek Jesus to only for miracles, but rather for the eternal life that He can give. Let us recognize the miracles, blessings and beautiful things, big and small, that accompany us every day and thank the Lord for them and also use them to come closer to God.
God alone works miracles, not human beings. In the same way, God alone gives us eternal life, not human beings: not even great and holy men and women. And certainly, eternal life cannot be obtained through human efforts or good deeds. Eternal life is a gift from God, and it is granted only to those who have faith in Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Saviour.

Therefore, let us not just rely on our rituals, sacraments, and other good works in an effort to earn our salvation but rather truly believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, the One God has sent to redeem us through His sacrifice on the cross.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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