August 2, 2009
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.
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. Exodus 16:3-4
[Y]ou 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. Ephesians 4:22-24
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. John 6:34-35
Piety
The Bread of Life captures the notion of what is essential about life in an ordinary way. That bread would also taste wonderful when it is fresh makes our need of the word of God absolute. He would feed us and give us the happiness of meaningful life. Eucharist is the food of life. It is also the perfect way to say thanks to God for all the wonderful things he has done for us. God gives us his Son and the life of his Son becomes our life as the rebirth of Baptism into Christ is fed with new life by Eucharist. Christ makes us his gift to the Father. We are adopted children now, fed with a fullness of Christ, as who we are becomes who Christ is in our world. Jesus, as the bread of life makes us over into his presence in the world. The Jewish people were looking for Jesus because he had fed them with the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes. We are looking for Jesus because he gives us the secret of life. He who eats of his Body and Blood will live into eternal life. Jesus, himself, is the bread of life. He feeds us with eternal life. He gives us our destiny to live forever. Why am I looking for Jesus?
Study
I look for you Jesus because you are the mystery of God expressed in human life. You have created me to be your presence in my world by the good that I do. You have offered me a wonderful meaning of life that is found in you as the meaning of my life. You give me form and substance because I have been created in you. You speak to me through all the good people of my life. You offer me yourself as the answer to all my yearnings for more life. You make sense out of the humanness of life by giving it a divine meaning in yourself. How can I dare to do anything wrong when you have told me that if I love you I will keep the commandments? You are continuously touching my life by all the wonders of creation. It is not just me that is given meaning by you. The world itself looks to you for fulfillment. I cannot be any happier without you being with me in all that I do. I have gone without eating for the sake of knowing what it means to really hunger for you. I want to love you so much there would be nothing in my life apart from you. I continue to be amazed that you wait for me to want you. Quench my hunger and my thirst for you Lord by every Eucharist that touches my lips. Feed my heart that is yearning for your love. Be with me in all that I would do in your name.
Action
I come to you Lord because you call out to me in the cries of the hungry, thirsty and the poor of my world. Help me to be generous in what I do in your name. I shall try to give without counting the cost. I shall try to lose myself in the wounds of nails and the spear that pierced your heart. I shall try to love as you have loved with all my mind and heart and soul placed in what I am trying to do for you. I am grateful for the work you send me because it gives me the chance to be Eucharist to those that I serve in your name. I shall try to break the barriers of segregation and hatred by offering love to those that do not like me. I work at giving you my mind, my will and my heart in all that I do. You have given me all that I have. I shall work at returning all to you by my prayer, sacrifice and good works, all done in your name. I shall try to be a transparency of your love in all that I say and do. I give you ‘carte blanche’ to use all of me in your service. I shall try to make people feel that they are doing me the favor by the chance they give me to be of service to the people of God. Then it will be true that I am your Eucharist to my world.
