Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 113
Reading 1
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."
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 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.
Reading 2
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.
Alleluia
Matthew 4:4b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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 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.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Hunger for God
“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.” John 6:25–27
The day before, Jesus fed the crowds at the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. The next day, the people were hungry again, so they went looking for Jesus thinking that He might miraculously feed them again. In the passage above, Jesus uses their physical hunger to point them to a deeper spiritual reality.
Each one of us is hungry. We continually have cravings that we want satiated. Certainly, food and drink are among our cravings, but the deepest craving we each have is a spiritual one. The problem is that we often try to satiate ourselves in ways that will never satisfy us. Therefore, we each need to hear Jesus say, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” What is that food that the Son of Man will give to us? Of course, it is His very Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. It is the Most Holy Eucharist.
This passage begins the lengthy “Bread of Life Discourse” from which we will read over the next three Sundays. Throughout this discourse, Jesus makes it clear that His flesh is true food and His blood is true drink. Eating Jesus’ flesh and blood is the only way to eternal life. Some who listen to this teaching find that it is too difficult to accept and, as a result, reject Jesus and His teaching. The discourse ends with Jesus asking the Twelve if they want to leave too. Peter gives the perfect response by saying, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
As we ponder this teaching of Jesus over the next few weekends, it is important to start with the foundation. The foundation is our spiritual hunger. We each experience it. We each are aware of it. We cannot escape it. For that reason, look into your own soul. What do you see? Do you see a certain restlessness and unfulfilled desire? Do you sense the cravings within your own soul? When you see this, know that you have discovered the starting point of the life of fulfillment. Unless you can see that hunger within, you cannot turn to the source of satiation.
The Eucharist is the source of all that we long for in life; however, too often we fail to see that. We can easily fall into the trap of seeing the Eucharist as an obligation we must meet each week. Sometimes Mass can even be seen as an inconvenience. If this is your struggle, try to use the next few Sundays to reexamine your understanding of the Most Holy Eucharist.
Sunday Mass, more than anything else in life, must be understood as the source of our deepest satisfaction in life. It must be seen as the answer to every interior longing and restlessness we have. It is not money, recognition, status, power, or anything else in life that fulfills us. It is God. And God comes to us first and foremost in the celebration of the Mass. Do you believe this? Do you understand?
Reflect, today, and for the next few weeks, upon the Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist. As you do, try to see it as the answer to every interior longing and hunger that you have in life. Try to make an act of faith in this spiritual truth. If you do not regularly experience the satiation offered by consuming the Eucharist, ask yourself why not. Believe in everything that Jesus teaches in this holy discourse of the Bread of Life. If you do, you will also begin to receive the nourishment that our Lord promises.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
EAT! EAT!
“He gave them bread from the heavens to eat.” —John 6:31
Today’s Gospel reading from the sixth chapter of John begins Jesus’ famous Bread of Life discourse, which we read for four consecutive Sundays. There is a distinct, intentional progression in the words of Jesus regarding our response to this heavenly Bread.
During the first part of the discourse, Jesus emphasizes that we must believe He is the Bread of Life. The word believe is used four times from verses 29 through 47. Jesus teaches that we must believe in Him, and accordingly, believe the truths He is revealing. “I Myself am the Bread of Life. No one who comes to Me shall ever be hungry, no one who believes in Me shall ever thirst” (Jn 6:35; cf 1 Cor 11:24-25).
Jesus makes an abrupt, intentional transition in the last half of the discourse. He stops using the word “believe” and begins using verbs and nouns referring to eating and drinking. For nine consecutive verses, 50 through 58, the verbs eat and drink or nouns for food and drink are used. “If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever” (Jn 6:51). “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53). “The man who feeds on this bread shall live forever” (Jn 6:58).
Jesus clearly states that anyone who believes in Him will take the next step and eat His Eucharistic flesh. His initial hearers understood exactly the progression Jesus was making; many just refused to obey and eat (Jn 6:60ff). What about you? What will you do in response to Jesus’ clear words? “Unless you eat...”
Prayer: Father, every day, or as often as possible, I will open wide my mouth so You may fill it with the food of Your Eucharistic Body and Blood (Ps 81:11, 17).
Promise: “He rained manna upon them for food and gave them heavenly bread.” —Ps 78:24
Praise: Praise You, Jesus, Bread of Life (Jn 6:35). Alleluia!
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
In the Gospel Reading, people who were fed by Jesus through the multiplication of loaves come in search of him that he might satiate their hunger again. But Jesus exhorts them to work for the food that never perishes. The First and the Second Readings portray our inner struggle – between our body, mind, and spirit – and call us to a total renewal. The First Reading brings before us a murmuring and discontented crowd. The people of Israel are pulled by their bodily instinct – ‘we sat by the meat pots and ate the bread to the full.’ They also presumed in their minds that God had brought them out into the wilderness to kill them with hunger. They had soon forgotten the freedom they enjoyed after crossing Egypt. Their body was in the wilderness, and their mind was still in slavery in Egypt. In the Second Reading, Saint Paul exhorts the Ephesians to be renewed in mind and spirit. He proposes two criteria with which we can measure whether our minds are renewed and restored: a) justice or righteousness, and b) holiness. And there are three ways by which we can obtain spiritual renewal: a) By setting our minds in the present; b) by reviewing our attitude; and c) by letting go off the things that perish.
Prayers
My Eucharistic Lord, You are the Bread of Life and the source of all satisfaction in life. Your Body and Blood, given to me through my participation in the Holy Mass, is the greatest Gift I could ever receive. Please renew and deepen my love for You in this Gift so that I will find full satisfaction and fulfillment in You alone. Jesus, I trust in You.
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.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 216: Clarity of Mind through Authentic Love
Our Church sets before us many teachings that can only be understood by grace. Some teachings are about morality, calling us to a life of great virtue. Some teachings are about God, His very being and essence. Some teachings are about humanity and bring clarity to who we are. What’s important to understand is that nothing that the Church teaches can be fully understood without love. Love is like a window inserted into a brick wall surrounding the many truths revealed to us by God. Unless we find that window and peer through, we are left unaware of all that God wishes to teach us each day. Love of God and love of others enables us to quickly make sense of the greatest mysteries of life. Through love, our minds perceive and clarify life itself and all that God wishes to reveal to us in faith. Choose to love God and others with a spiritual, selfless and sacrificial love, and allow that love to become the source of your understanding in life (See Diary #1123).
What is it that causes you the greatest confusion? Is there some article of faith taught by the Church that you do not understand? Or perhaps there is confusion over a relationship you have, not knowing how to approach it or to resolve some underlying problem. Whatever it is that you find difficult to “solve,” know that your answer will come only when you choose to love God and others with a pure love, the love of Mercy. This is not a selfish love based on your feelings, but is a sacrificial and selfless love that imitates Jesus and His Cross. Commit to this love and you will quickly and easily comprehend the mysteries of life.
Lord, please enlighten me. Help me to realize that pure and holy love opens the door to the mysteries of life. May I open that door through my love of You, and discover all that You wish to teach me. This is a Mercy for which I am eternally grateful. Jesus, I trust in You.
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