Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary:
113
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 theland 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."
The Israelites said to them,
"Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the
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."
 |
| Collecting Manna. |
Responsorial Psalm Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54
R. (24b) 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. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
He commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven;
he rained manna upon them for food
and gave them heavenly bread.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
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. 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. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
He commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven;
he rained manna upon them for food
and gave them heavenly bread.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
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. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Reading
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.
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.
Gospel Jn 6:24-35
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were
there,
they themselves got into boats
and came toCapernaum
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 comes 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."
they themselves got into boats
and came to
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 comes 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."
Scripture Study
August 5, 2012 Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary
Time
This Sunday we celebrate
the Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time. The first and last readings this week
utilize the symbolism of bread to tell us that God wants to feed us and to care
for us on the many levels of our existence. God has reached out to do this
through His Son Jesus, the Christ. Paul, in the second reading, reminds us that
Christianity is about a person; Jesus is at the center. When we accept Him we
also accept all the values that He stands for. Christianity is not primarily
about doctrine; it is first and foremost a person-to-person relationship with
Jesus. This Sunday, I ask myself how serious am I about this relationship? How
completely have I put on Christ so that I can be the new me that Christ calls
me to be? Do I see the signs in Christ's actions in my life or am I like the
crowd in the Gospel that can't see past the loaves?
NOTES on First Reading
* 16:2-36 This account focuses on the
phenomenon of the manna and the quail as responses of God to the needs of His
people and on the responses of the people to the provision given them by God.
Most of this section is from the hand of the Priestly writer who is interested
in the "spiritual" significance of the events. Verses 17-21 stress
both that the provision is adequate but also new each day and vv 22-26 connect
the manna and the Sabbath.
It is likely that originally this story
sprang from the tradition of God's gracious care of His people in the desert.
At the arrival of God's Glory in v 10-11 Yahweh assures the people that their
needs will be met instead of meting out punishment for their rebellion of vv. 2
and 7. See Ps 105:40.
During and after the Exile the Priestly
(P) writers were searching for an explanation of the disaster that had occurred
and stressed the rebellion theme by expressing it as a death wish in v 3. At
this level the real problem and rebellion is not in hunger pangs but in
theological despair. The people are refusing to acknowledge that God can do
what He sets out to do. The rejection of what God has already done is what
Moses and Aaron are addressing in v 6.
*16:4 Bread from heaven: as a gift from
God, the manna is said to come down from the sky. Psalm 78:25; Wisdom 16:20.
Perhaps it was similar to a natural substance that is still found in small
quantities on the Sinai peninsula ( a
secretion of two insects that live on the tamarisk tree), but here it is, at
least in part, clearly intended to be taken as miraculous. Our Lord referred to
the manna as a type of the Blessed Eucharist. John 6:32, 49-52.
* 16:6-8 There is some confusion here. V
6 & 7 are repeated in v 8 & 12. Vv 6 &7 are ominous and probably
indicate that at one time this story included the death of some of the people.
See Num 11:31-34.
* 16:15 The ancient versions render the
original "man hu" as "What is this". The phrase is
understood as a popular etymology of the Hebrew word "manna"; some
read it, "This is manna."
NOTES on Second Reading
* 4:17 This verse begins a section ending
at 5:20 that contrasts the ungodly ways of the Gentiles to the way of life implied
by membership in the Body of Christ. The admonitions are generally traditional
and are usually stated as imperatives to avoid certain behaviors and actions.
Verses 17-19 present a fairly common Jewish view of pagan morals and life.
* 4:18-19 Verses 18-19 are left out of
the reading. I include them here only for completeness since they are short.
* 4:20 This verse marks the shift from
the description of the ways of the Gentiles to the way of life of a follower of
Jesus.
* 4:22-24 Paul uses baptismal language to
exhort the reader to live as would be fitting to the new humanity that is found
in the believer. The words translated as "new self" and "old
self" literally mean "old man" and "new man". This
language is also found in Gal 3:27; Rom 13:14; Col
NOTES on Gospel Reading
* 6:25 The crowd's question is ignored
and never addressed. The geography as indicated by verses 24 and 25 is a bit
baffling. Capernaum
* 6:26 Jesus draws a distinction
between seeing signs and simply experiencing the miracle. While the crowd saw
the miracle they failed to recognize the sign.
* 6:27 Here Jesus seems to be reminding
us of His statement about "living water" and looking forward to His
statement about Himself as "bread of life"(4:14, 6:35). In both
images, the key to receiving the gift of Jesus is faith that He is the one sent
from God. This would indicate that this verse, although it has eucharistic undertones
is not primarily referring to the Holy Eucharist but to Jesus' word of
revelation or to Jesus, Himself, as expressed at the end of the verse:
"For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." This also echoes
verse 3:33,which says, in the words of the Revised Standard Version(RSV):
"he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is
true." John emphasizes that it is God who affirms the role of Jesus.
* 6:28-29 The "works of God"
may refer to what God does and requires. Jesus speaks of Himself as "doing
the works of the One Who sent Him" (9:4). In v 29, Jesus says that only
one "work" is needed and that is believing in the One sent by God.
* 6:30-31 The request from the crowd
for a sign seems to indicate that they understand that Jesus is making a claim
for Himself. At the same time, verse 30 reminds the reader that Jesus has just
said, in verse 26, that they did not see the sign even though they ate the
loaves. The crowd challenges Jesus by referring to Exodus 16:4-5 although
John's citation actually combines Exodus 16:4-5, Psalm 78:24.
Later Jewish writings indicate that
there was an expectation that manna would again be provided in the
eschatological age. Thus the people may have thought that the miracle of the
loaves was a prelude to a greater event in which they expected that Jesus would
be the new provider of manna as Moses was in the old days of the ancestors.
* 6:32 Jesus restates and corrects the
crowd's statement in three important respects: not Moses, but "My
Father," not gave, but "gives," not manna but the "true
bread (alethinos) from heaven."
Jesus then (verse 33) defines this true
bread from heaven as: "that which (or he who) comes down from heaven and
gives life to the world." (See also 3:15-16, 5:24).
*6:34-35 Here the crowd's request
parallels the request of the Samaritan woman (4:14) and it is met with the same
affirmation that looks back to the image of the water as well as engaging the
present image of bread: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will
never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." Note the
shift from "bread from heaven" to "bread of God" and
finally to "bread of life".
Meditation: "Lord,
give us this bread always"
Jesus makes a claim which only God can make: He is the true bread of heaven that can satisfy the deepest hunger, thirst, and longing which every human being experiences in life. When the Israelites journeyed in the desert wildnerness they could find no food to keep themselves alive. They complained that God had left them there to perish. God tested them to see if they would trust in his personal care and provision for them. He gave them sufficient manna each day to sustain them on their journey to the promised land. This daily provision of manna in the wilderness could not produce long lasting satisfaction nor eteral life for the Israelites. It did however prefigure and point to the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper which Jesus gave to his disciples on the eve of his sacrifice. The bread which Jesus offers his disciples sustains us not only on our journey to the heavenly paradise, it gives us the abundant supernatural life of God which sustains us now and for all eternity. When we receive from the Lord’s table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood and partakers of his divine life. Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.) calls it the "one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ" (Ad Eph. 20,2). This supernatural food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our journey heavenward.
Jesus also spoke about the works of God and what we must do to be doing the works of God, namely to believe in God's Son whom he has sent into the world. Jesus offers a new relationship with God which issues in a new kind of life: a life of sacrificial love, selfless service, and the forgiveness of others which corresponds to God's mercy, goodness and loving kindness; a life of holiness, purity, and truth which corresponds to God's holiness; and a life of obedience and trust which corresponds to God's offer of abundant life, peace, and happiness. This is the work which Jesus directs us to and enables us to perform in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you hunger for the bread which comes down from heaven and thirst for the words of everlasting life?
"Lord Jesus, you are the true Bread of Heaven. Only you alone can truly satisfy the deepest longing and hunger of my heart. Nourish me with the bread of life that I may be truly satisfied in you alone as the giver of life."
|
Glimpsing the
Depths of Jesus
|
|
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
|
|
Listen to podcast version here. John 6: 24-35 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Introductory Prayer: Jesus, I believe that you are present in my life. You know all of my thoughts, desires, intentions and deeds. Yet you love me anyway. Thank you for the supreme gift of yourself to us in the Eucharist, where we can truly encounter you: body, blood, soul and divinity. I trust in your love and abandon myself to you. Petition: Lord, help me not to look for signs, but to rest in your love. 1. What Have You Done for Me Lately? The crowd asks Jesus for a sign, and this is strange. Isn’t this the same crowd that he fed the day before with five loaves and two fish (cf. John 6:1-14)? Didn’t they say at the time, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”(John 6:14)? Didn’t Jesus have to escape from them since they wanted to make him king (cf. John 6:15)? Sometimes, I’m the same way. There is an abundance of things that Jesus has done for me. At the moment they happen, I receive them with joy. Perhaps I am grateful, but more often than not, I don’t give Jesus enough credit. And even if I do thank him, on the following day (sometimes even sooner), I seem to have forgotten. And I go on asking more favors. Maybe I have the attitude that he never does anything for me. How can I be so dense to not grasp all the signs of love that he shows me every day? 2. The Crowd Is Condemned by the Very Psalm They Quote to Jesus: The crowd quotes Scripture to Jesus, trying to get him to multiply more loaves: “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” (Psalm 78:24) They are looking for their own material benefit and want him to do a miracle that will feed them every day, like the manna in the desert that fed their forefathers for forty years. Yet their own words condemn them. Psalm 78 is about the hard-heartedness of their forefathers in the desert in spite of the manna and other signs the Lord worked for them: “And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved…. In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not believe in his wonders” (Psalm 78:29, 32). Doesn’t Jesus deal with me at least as well as he did with the Israelites in the wilderness? Hasn’t he always been on hand to help me? 3. Jesus Always Gives Us Better Than What We Ask For: They are asking for more ordinary bread. Jesus promises them something better – bread to feed the spirit. He starts by talking about ordinary things and then elevates the conversation to more spiritual things. We are well aware how much we need certain everyday things, like bread. Jesus is trying to help us see we need something to feed us spiritually just as much – if not more. The crowd ate yesterday and was satisfied yesterday. Today, they are hungry again, and come again to Jesus hoping to be given something like manna that will feed them every day so they won’t have to worry about ordinary hunger again. Jesus goes beyond that and speaks to them of a bread that is coming, a bread that will feed them spiritually so that they will never have to hunger spiritually again. He gives them something far better than what they ask for: the bread of his own body. Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, so often I see things only from my own selfish perspective. I think very materialistically, not glimpsing all that is happening on the supernatural level, especially the supernatural gifts you give me every day. Help me to be more spiritual and less selfish. Help me to trust in your goodness and loving guidance. Resolution: I will find a way to visit Jesus in the Eucharist today. If it is really impossible, I will make a spiritual communion, asking Jesus to come into my heart even though I cannot receive him in this moment and asking him to increase my faith, hope and love in him. |
The
Lord gave them bread from heaven
Put on
your true nature.There are some striking images in Paul’s letters. The idea of casting off the old, untrue nature and putting on a clean, true one is beautiful. It shows that Paul believes everyone’s true nature is the one that is ‘created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness’. We are created for good; we are not created to do wrong.
Everyone loses their way at times, but we can find our way back to the truth that is the essence of our being. There is always hope, even for the person who may seem irredeemable. Paul himself was able to make great changes. For most of us, these changes are not so drastic, but they can often feel hard. It is lovely to know that God has infinite faith in our ability to be the person he intended.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
This was the theme of the following letter written by a parent in response to the above letter from 'a microscopic minority' at the College.
Dear Father Gleeson,
The letter you quote from a parent about the asylum seekers issue saddens me, as the parent believes that in voicing support for a more humanitarian response to asylum seekers he is part of 'a microscopic minority' at the College. He is not so alone as he imagines. We all share the shame that he perceives this to be the case. Hence my email, voicing support for a change of heart befitting a civilised nation, a much needed change, as signalled by yesterday's High Court decision. Jesuits engage with 'hot potatoes' and - this is our blessing - encourage our sons to do likewise. To be alive is to be political, unless one is mute. To be mute where we enjoy such freedom of speech is, I suggest, both irresponsible and un-Catholic.
Thank you for the holistic education you provide to our sons.
From A Canopy of Stars: Some Reflections for the Journey by Fr Christopher Gleeson SJ [David Lovell Publishing 2003]
www.churchresources.info
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Jesus
Among Us
|
|
||
|
We can say about eternal life that it has been
made visible to us and that we have seen it and touched it with our hands,
because Jesus is alive among us. He is alive and present wherever his word is
preached. He lives in his sacraments.
|
|||
|
|||
August 5
Dedication of St. Mary Major Basilica
Dedication of St. Mary Major Basilica
First raised at the order of Pope
Liberius in the mid-fourth century, the Liberian basilica was rebuilt by Pope
Sixtus III shortly after the Council of Ephesus affirmed Mary’s title as Mother
of God in 431. Rededicated at that time to the Mother of God, St. Mary Major is
the largest church in the world honoring God through Mary. Standing atop one of
Rome ’s seven hills, the Esquiline ,
it has survived many restorations without losing its character as an early
Roman basilica. Its interior retains three naves divided by colonnades in the
style of Constantine
St.
Mary Major is one of the four Roman basilicas known as patriarchal cathedrals
in memory of the first centers of the Church. St. John Lateran represents Rome,
the See of Peter; St. Paul Outside the Walls, the See of Alexandria, allegedly
the see presided over by Mark; St. Peter’s, the See of Constantinople; and St.
Mary’s, the See of Antioch, where Mary is supposed to have spent most of her
life.One legend, unreported before the year 1000, gives another name to this feast: Our Lady of the Snows. According to that story, a wealthy Roman couple pledged their fortune to the Mother of God. In affirmation, she produced a miraculous summer snowfall and told them to build a church on the site. The legend was long celebrated by releasing a shower of white rose petals from the basilica’s dome every August 5.
Comment:
Theological debate over Christ’s nature as God and man reached fever pitch inConstantinople
in the early fifth century. The chaplain of Bishop Nestorius began
preaching against the title Theotokos, “Mother of God,” insisting that the Virgin was mother only of
the human Jesus. Nestorius agreed, decreeing that Mary would henceforth be
named “Mother of Christ” in his see. The people of Constantinople
virtually revolted against their bishop’s refutation of a cherished belief. When
the Council of Ephesus refuted Nestorius, believers took to the streets,
enthusiastically chanting, “Theotokos! Theotokos!”
Theological debate over Christ’s nature as God and man reached fever pitch in
Quote:
“From the earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, in whose protection the faithful take refuge together in prayer in all their perils and needs. Accordingly, following the Council of Ephesus, there was a remarkable growth in the cult of the People of God towards Mary, in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation...” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 66).
“From the earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, in whose protection the faithful take refuge together in prayer in all their perils and needs. Accordingly, following the Council of Ephesus, there was a remarkable growth in the cult of the People of God towards Mary, in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation...” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 66).
LECTIO: 18TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (B)
Lectio:
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Jesus the bread of life.
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to
read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on
the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped
them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence
and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for
them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:
The Discourse of the Bread of Life is not a text to be discussed and dissected, but rather it should be meditated and pondered. This is why, even if it is not fully understood, we should not be concerned. This text of the Bread of Life demands a whole life to meditate on it and deepen it. Such a text, people have to read it, meditate it, pray it, think about it, read it again, repeat it and ponder it, as one does with a good sweet in the mouth. We turn it and turn it in the mouth until it is finished. The one, who reads the Fourth Gospel superficially, may have the impression that John always repeats the same thing. Reading it more attentively, one becomes aware that it is not a question of repetition. The author of the fourth Gospel has his own way of repeating the same theme, but always at a higher and more profound level. It seems to be like a winding staircase. By turning one reaches the same place, but always at a higher level or a more profound one.
b) A division of chapter six:
It is good to keep in mind the division of the chapter in order to understand better its significance:
John 6,1-15: the great multiplication of the loaves
John 6,16-21: the crossing of the lake, and Jesus who walks on the water
John 6,22-71: the dialogue of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples
1st dialogue: 6, 22-27 with the people: the people seek Jesus and find him in Capernaum
2nd dialogue: 6, 28-34 with the people: faith as the work of God and the manna of the desert
3rd dialogue: 6, 35-40 with the people: the true bread is to do God’s will.
4th dialogue: 6, 41-51 with the Jews: the complaining of the Jews
5th dialogue: 6, 52-58 with the Jews: Jesus and the Jews.
6th dialogue: 6, 59-66 with the disciples: reaction of the disciples
7th dialogue: 6, 67-71 with the disciples: confession of Peter
c) The text: John 6,24-35
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:
The Discourse of the Bread of Life is not a text to be discussed and dissected, but rather it should be meditated and pondered. This is why, even if it is not fully understood, we should not be concerned. This text of the Bread of Life demands a whole life to meditate on it and deepen it. Such a text, people have to read it, meditate it, pray it, think about it, read it again, repeat it and ponder it, as one does with a good sweet in the mouth. We turn it and turn it in the mouth until it is finished. The one, who reads the Fourth Gospel superficially, may have the impression that John always repeats the same thing. Reading it more attentively, one becomes aware that it is not a question of repetition. The author of the fourth Gospel has his own way of repeating the same theme, but always at a higher and more profound level. It seems to be like a winding staircase. By turning one reaches the same place, but always at a higher level or a more profound one.
b) A division of chapter six:
It is good to keep in mind the division of the chapter in order to understand better its significance:
John 6,1-15: the great multiplication of the loaves
John 6,16-21: the crossing of the lake, and Jesus who walks on the water
John 6,22-71: the dialogue of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples
1st dialogue: 6, 22-27 with the people: the people seek Jesus and find him in Capernaum
2nd dialogue: 6, 28-34 with the people: faith as the work of God and the manna of the desert
3rd dialogue: 6, 35-40 with the people: the true bread is to do God’s will.
4th dialogue: 6, 41-51 with the Jews: the complaining of the Jews
5th dialogue: 6, 52-58 with the Jews: Jesus and the Jews.
6th dialogue: 6, 59-66 with the disciples: reaction of the disciples
7th dialogue: 6, 67-71 with the disciples: confession of Peter
c) The text: John 6,24-35
When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his
disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum
Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.
Then they said to him, 'What must we do if we are to carry out God's work?' Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is carrying out God's work: you must believe in the one he has sent.'
So they said, 'What sign will you yourself do, the sight of which will make us believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'
Jesus answered them: In all truth I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of God is the bread which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
'Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread always.' Jesus answered them: I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst.
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
a) The people were hungry, they eat the bread and they look for more bread. They seek the miracle and do not seek the sign of God who was hidden in that. What do I seek more in my life: the miracle or the sign?
b) Hungry for bread, hungry for God. Which of these two predominates in me?
c) Jesus says: “I am the bread of life”. He takes away hunger and thirst. Which of these experiences do I have in my life?
d) Keep silence within you for a moment and ask yourself: “To believe in Jesus: What does this mean for me concretely in my daily life?”
5. For those who wish to deepen more into the theme
a) Context:
In today’s Gospel we begin the Discourse on the Bread of Life (Jn 6, 22-71). After the multiplication of the loaves, the people follow Jesus. They had seen the miracle; they had eaten and were satiated and wanted more! They were not concerned about looking for the sign or the call of God that was contained in all of this. When the people found Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum, he had a long conversation with them, called the Discourse of the Bread of Life. It is not really a Discourse, but it treats of a series of seven brief dialogues which explain the meaning of the multiplication of the bread, symbol of the new Exodus and of the Eucharistic Supper.
The conversation of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples is a beautiful dialogue, but a demanding one. Jesus tries to open the eyes of the people in a way that they will learn to read the events and discover in them the turning point that life should take. Because it is not enough to follow behind miraculous signs which multiply the bread for the body. Man does not live by bread alone. The struggle for life without mysticism does not reach the roots. The people, while speaking with Jesus, always remain more annoyed or upset by his words. But Jesus does not give in, neither does he change the exigencies. The discourse seems to be a funnel. In the measure in which the conversation advances, less people remain with Jesus. At the end only the twelve remain there, but Jesus cannot trust them either! Today the same thing happens. When the Gospel beings to demand commitment, many people withdraw, go away.
Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.
Then they said to him, 'What must we do if we are to carry out God's work?' Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is carrying out God's work: you must believe in the one he has sent.'
So they said, 'What sign will you yourself do, the sight of which will make us believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'
Jesus answered them: In all truth I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of God is the bread which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
'Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread always.' Jesus answered them: I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst.
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
a) The people were hungry, they eat the bread and they look for more bread. They seek the miracle and do not seek the sign of God who was hidden in that. What do I seek more in my life: the miracle or the sign?
b) Hungry for bread, hungry for God. Which of these two predominates in me?
c) Jesus says: “I am the bread of life”. He takes away hunger and thirst. Which of these experiences do I have in my life?
d) Keep silence within you for a moment and ask yourself: “To believe in Jesus: What does this mean for me concretely in my daily life?”
5. For those who wish to deepen more into the theme
a) Context:
In today’s Gospel we begin the Discourse on the Bread of Life (Jn 6, 22-71). After the multiplication of the loaves, the people follow Jesus. They had seen the miracle; they had eaten and were satiated and wanted more! They were not concerned about looking for the sign or the call of God that was contained in all of this. When the people found Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum, he had a long conversation with them, called the Discourse of the Bread of Life. It is not really a Discourse, but it treats of a series of seven brief dialogues which explain the meaning of the multiplication of the bread, symbol of the new Exodus and of the Eucharistic Supper.
The conversation of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples is a beautiful dialogue, but a demanding one. Jesus tries to open the eyes of the people in a way that they will learn to read the events and discover in them the turning point that life should take. Because it is not enough to follow behind miraculous signs which multiply the bread for the body. Man does not live by bread alone. The struggle for life without mysticism does not reach the roots. The people, while speaking with Jesus, always remain more annoyed or upset by his words. But Jesus does not give in, neither does he change the exigencies. The discourse seems to be a funnel. In the measure in which the conversation advances, less people remain with Jesus. At the end only the twelve remain there, but Jesus cannot trust them either! Today the same thing happens. When the Gospel beings to demand commitment, many people withdraw, go away.
b) Commentary on the text
John 6,24-27: People look for Jesus because
they want more bread. The people follow Jesus. They see that he did not go into
the boat with the disciples and, because of this, they do not understand what
he had done to reach Capernaum
John 6,28-29: “Which is God’s work?” The
people ask: what should we do to carry out this work of God? Jesus answers that
the great work of God asks us to “believe in the one sent by God”. That is, to
believe in Jesus!
John 6,30-33: “What sign will you yourself do,
the sign which will make us believe in you?” People had asked: What should we
do to carry out the work of God? Jesus responds: “The work of God is to believe
in the one who has sent”, that is to believe in Jesus. This is why people
formulate the new question: “Which sign do you do so that we can see and can
believe? Which work do you do?” This means that they did not understand the
multiplication of the loaves as a sign from God to legitimize Jesus before the
people, as the one sent by God! They continue to argue: In the past our fathers
ate the manna which Moses gave them! They called it “bread from Heaven” (Ws
16,20), that is, “bread of God”. Moses continues to be the great leader in whom
to believe. If Jesus wants the people to believe in him, he should work a
greater sign than Moses. “What work do you do?”
Jesus responds that the bread given by Moses was not the true bread from heaven. Coming from on high, yes, but it was not the bread of God, because it did not guarantee life to any one. All of them died in the desert (Jn 6,49). The true bread of heaven, the bread of God, is the one which conquers death and gives life! It is the one which descends from Heaven and gives life to the world. It is Jesus himself! Jesus tries to help the people to liberate themselves from the way of thinking of the past. For him, fidelity to the past does not mean to close up oneself in the ancient things and not accept renewal. Fidelity to the past means to accept the novelty which comes as the fruit of the seed which was planted in the past.
Jesus responds that the bread given by Moses was not the true bread from heaven. Coming from on high, yes, but it was not the bread of God, because it did not guarantee life to any one. All of them died in the desert (Jn 6,49). The true bread of heaven, the bread of God, is the one which conquers death and gives life! It is the one which descends from Heaven and gives life to the world. It is Jesus himself! Jesus tries to help the people to liberate themselves from the way of thinking of the past. For him, fidelity to the past does not mean to close up oneself in the ancient things and not accept renewal. Fidelity to the past means to accept the novelty which comes as the fruit of the seed which was planted in the past.
John 6,34-35: “Lord, gives us always of that
bread!” Jesus answers clearly: “I am the bread of life!” To eat the bread of
heaven is the same as to believe in Jesus and accept to follow the road that he
teaches us, that is: “My food is to do the will of the one who has sent me and
to complete his work!” (Jn 4,34). This is the true food which nourishes the
person, which transforms life and gives new life.
6. Prayer of Psalm 111
Alleluia! I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them.
6. Prayer of Psalm 111
Alleluia! I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them.
Full of splendour and majesty his work,
his saving justice stands firm for ever.
He gives us a memorial of his great deeds;
Yahweh is mercy and tenderness.
He gives food to those who fear him,
he keeps his covenant ever in mind.
his saving justice stands firm for ever.
He gives us a memorial of his great deeds;
Yahweh is mercy and tenderness.
He gives food to those who fear him,
he keeps his covenant ever in mind.
His works show his people his power
in giving them the birthright of the nations.
The works of his hands are fidelity and justice,
all his precepts are trustworthy,
established for ever and ever,
accomplished in fidelity and honesty.
in giving them the birthright of the nations.
The works of his hands are fidelity and justice,
all his precepts are trustworthy,
established for ever and ever,
accomplished in fidelity and honesty.
Deliverance he sends to his people,
his covenant he imposes for ever;
holy and awesome his name.
The root of wisdom is fear of Yahweh;
those who attain it are wise.
His praise will continue for ever.
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
his covenant he imposes for ever;
holy and awesome his name.
The root of wisdom is fear of Yahweh;
those who attain it are wise.
His praise will continue for ever.
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét