Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (John 6:1-15)
For the next few weeks our regular reading of the Gospel of Mark is interrupted as we read the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. The chapter begins with the multiplication of the loaves, which is followed by extended words of Jesus in dialogue with the Jews.
Why is this miracle so important to all four evangelists?
How can we avoid misunderstanding the signs worked by Jesus?
Let us pray for true solidarity with those in need.
Let us pray for those who work that the hungry may be fed and that unjust structures may be challenged.
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (John 6:24-35)
The crowds have interpreted the sign in a materialistic way. They want to make Jesus their king so that they can be sure of their supply of bread. Jesus challenges their interpretation. The new gift God is giving, if they could accept it, is the gift of Himself, the ‘bread of life’.
To what extent do I misunderstand the signs Jesus gives me?
Do I understand what it means to ‘work for God’?
We pray for an understanding that faith can resolve our human concerns.
We pray for a deeper love of Christ as the one who satisfies our deepest needs.
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (John 6:41-51.)
The focus of these verses is on Jesus as the one who brings true teaching. To learn from Jesus is to be fed indeed. To learn from Jesus is to come to know the Father. The bread Jesus offers is a pledge of eternal life. We are reminded of the self-giving of Jesus at the Last Supper and at the cross. Jesus is the Bread of Life both in his words of life, and in the sacrament of his body, and blood. The reactions of his hearers is predictably one of puzzlement, as the following verses will show.
Do I really value the teaching of Jesus as revealing the Father?
Do I treasure the coming of Jesus in Word and Sacrament at Mass?
We pray that we may move beyond earthly perceptions to openness to the things of God.
We pray that the Bread of Life will truly nourish us as individuals and as community.
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (John 6:51-58)
The focus is on eating the flesh of Jesus. The Eucharist has been a source of controversy and misunderstanding. In speaking of his flesh and blood which he gives to us Jesus is employing a metaphor for his very self. Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist we receive the real Jesus, his ‘body, blood, soul and divinity’, his full self, but in such a way that the real gift is hidden beneath the physical appearances of bread and wine. Sharing in the Eucharist brings intimacy with Jesus: ‘he lives in me and I live in him’. This intimacy is the pledge of eternal life. The ultimate focus is on the gift of life. As Jesus draws life from the Father, so we draw life from Jesus in the Eucharist.
Am I prepared to accept the mystery of the Eucharist and by frequent reception to deepen my intimacy with the Lord?
Am I faithful to the commitment to attend Mass each Sunday and on the major feasts?
We pray that we will allow the Sacraments to lead us further into the things of God.
We pray that our communities may grow in love of the Eucharist and reverent celebration of Christ’s gifts of Word and Sacrament.