To Come and Feast on His Table

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Aug. 16, 2009 (Jn 6:51-58)

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."

It is very difficult to accept the teaching of Jesus about His giving of Himself as bread for all. Killing someone is a most gruesome sin. What more is eating someone's flesh? The Jews did not understand this teaching, nor was it easily accepted by the pagans who heard of it when the disciples preached Christianity to all nations. How could a God allow Himself to be eaten by people? This teaching challenged the wisdom of the pagans. As St. Paul puts it, "We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23)." When we think about it, it really is foolish of Jesus to offer Himself on the cross and as bread in the Eucharist. But, "the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom (1 Cor 1:23)."

Jesus' offering of Himself is the greatest sign of God's love for man. This is what God destined and revealed even in the first pages of the Bible. In the Book of Genesis, God promised to send a Savior who will defeat Satan. But who would have thought that God will save us in this way?

God must have judged it better to redeem us through the bitter passion and glorious resurrection of Jesus in order to give us an example of giving oneself, of giving everything without withholding anything. Through Jesus, God did not only redeem us; He also gave us a model to follow in order to avoid sinking in the quicksand that is sin.

In the Eucharist, Jesus continuously nourishes us and gives us life. He says, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you (Jn 6:53)." The souls of those who do not receive the Eucharist slowly become weak. The Eucharist is not a vitamin for the soul, giving it only extra strength; the soul needs it because it is its primary food. The Eucharist is Jesus, and Jesus is the only source of life and strength.

Therefore, we must receive the Eucharist often. If there are some things, like sin, for example, which hinder us from receiving it, we must denounce them with God's help, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We must strive to be worthy to receive the food of our soul. If we work hard to feed our bodies, we must work harder to feed our souls. Yes, this food is given free of charge, but we must be pure and worthy to receive it.

God, in His great love, is giving Himself as life-giving food for us. May we receive Him in faith. In receiving Him, Jesus comes to dwell in us, and we begin to live because of Him, with Him, in Him, and in the way He lived. On the last day, we shall be born in eternal life because we have fed our souls.

God has given us everything as a gift. We need only to come and feast on His table.

Flesh for the Life of the World

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Aug. 9, 2009 (Jn 6:41-51)

At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.

I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread which I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews cannot comprehend how Jesus could have come down from heaven. They know Jesus and even His parents. So how could they believe that Jesus came from heaven?

Jesus explains to them that no one can come to Him unless the Father wills it. Through this, He implies that it is the will of the Father for Him to come down to earth so that all may live. He was born on earth because this was God's plan for the salvation of His beloved people. Jesus is God's grace to us, a gift for our salvation. He is the living and life-giving symbol of God's care.

For us who are living after Jesus' time, He has given the Holy Eucharist. This is not only a reminder of His sacrifice on the cross. This is not a mere symbol. This is really Him, the living and life-giving bread. Through the Eucharist, God's will to bring His Son to all peoples is fulfilled. It is here that Jesus' offering of His flesh on Calvary two thousand years ago is made present now.

Jesus offers us His flesh and blood for the life of all (Jn 6:51). His offering of flesh and blood is an offering of His life. In the Eucharist, we receive, in faith, the life of Jesus. This life is the eternal life with the Holy Trinity and with all the saints.

Receiving Jesus' life is also accepting a challenge. It is a challenge to make our lives His life. As St. Paul puts it, "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Gal 2:20)." We need to take upon ourselves the works of Jesus. We need to follow His footsteps, to live as He had lived because we have received His life.

Therefore, the Eucharist does not only nourish us, it also changes us. If, in faith, we receive the bread of life, we, little by little, become Jesus to all. This can only happen if we keep the lessons of the Eucharist in our hearts and in our deeds. Imagine how peaceful the world will be if we can all become Jesus!

A Greater Hunger

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Aug. 2, 2009 (Jn 6:24-35)

Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

The Gospel today tells us that the people were looking for Jesus. This happened after the miracle of the multiplication of bread and fish wherein more than five thousand were able to eat. Jesus frankly told them that they were looking for Him only because they were able to eat, not because of the miracle they witnessed (Jn 6:26).

The people's search for Christ symbolizes the people's search for God. From the very beginning of his life, man has been searching for someone who can provide all that he needs in order to live. Since he met God and realized His power, man has been in pursuit of Him. Man searches for God because he needs Him.

This immature faith is rampant throughout Christianity. Many of us call on God only in times of material need. We only see God as the Great Provider of our necessities in life. This faith is immature and can easily crumble when faced with difficulties. If this is the kind of faith of all Christians, no Christian would be found among the poor.

When the Jews who were hungry approached Him, Jesus revealed to them a greater hunger which they often neglect. This is the hunger of the soul. Every soul longs for God's embrace but this yearning is neglected because of physical hunger and of the hunger for worldy things.

Jesus did not correct our perception of God as Provider of our needs. He only wanted us to direct our attention to the greater reason why we needed God. Indeed, we need Him in order to live in this world, but for how long will we live here? More than for our survival here on earth, we need God to save our souls, to nourish us with the bread which gives eternal life.

Jesus says that He is the life-giving bread. In receiving Him, we can want nothing more. Let us first seek the life that He gives to our souls. Let us establish a good relationship with Him. Let us prioritize the hunger of our soul and He will provide us with everything else we could ever need (Mt 6:33). Only in Him can we find rest for our hearts ("Confessions" by St. Augustine of Hippo), and in accepting Him, we receive eternal life where we will never go hungry nor thirsty (Jn 6:35)

Repeating the Miracle of Multiplication

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 26, 2009 (Jn 6:1-15)

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred days wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted." So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

In the Gospel last Sunday, Jesus showed concern for the people by giving them what they hungered for - the Word of God. In today's Gospel, Jesus provides them with food for the body. This shows us the basic truth that God did not only create us; He sustains us. This is expressed in the common saying, "God provides." Indeed, He provides for all our needs, be it physical or spiritual

Great hunger and deprivation of the basic needs in life cause many to doubt that God provides. But the truth is, God has provided and is still providing for us. Jesus tells us that the ravens do not sow, reap and store food, but they are fed by the Father. He said that we are worth more than birds, implying that the Father would also provide for us (cf. Lk 12:24). Everything we need is being given us. The problem is that some people possess God's graces, fewer people possess them in abundance, while a lot more are deprived of them. Society does not require those who have to give to those who do not have. This is why many of those who have opt not to share.

Sometimes, when we wish to share to those in need, we are discouraged by the fact that sharing the little that we have cannot fill all who are hungry. We think our help does only a little good. But we should realize that sharing is still sharing and a little help is still help.

Many scholars say that in the Gospel narrative, there was really no miracle of multiplication of bread; there was only a miracle of inspiration. When the young boy offered the little that he had, the others were inspired to also share what they had. Thus, everyone was filled and there were still some left over. This supports the fact that, indeed, everything we need has been with us and has been provided for us all along, and that all it takes to end hunger is sharing.

When we share, we become bread for others, just as Jesus became bread for us. We become the distributors of what God has provided. We become instruments of giving to others what is rightfully theirs. Yes, what we share from our abundance is not ours; it belongs to those who need them.

Sharing will also inspire others to do the same. When we share, we inspire the people around us to be bread for others too. In doing so, we become the little boy who inspired five thousand people in today's narrative. Therefore, when we share, we repeat the miracle of the multiplication of bread. Ultimately, sharing will put an end to world hunger.

A Look of Mercy, A Glance That Cares

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 19, 2009 (Mk 6:30-34)

The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

In the Gospel today, we see Jesus give value to rest. He wanted His Apostles to rest as they have just returned from their missionary journeys. As disciples of Christ who bring His Word to others, we also need to rest. We need to pray and reflect. We need to have time alone with God to check our relationship with Him.

Jesus, in the Gospel, seeing the people who were like sheep without a shepherd (Mk 6:34), sacrificed His private time and the time of His Apostles in order to teach the great crowd. He knew how much the people were thirsting for God's Word. He had pity on them and He quenched their thirst for the nourishing Word.

As followers of Christ, we also ought to have great concern for our neighbor, especially for those who are in need, physically or spiritually. In these days, we usually look at people, especially those in need, as if they were just "other people". We don't see them as people we need to help, as people who, like us, are in need of God and of His life-giving Word.

This is the problem of our generation - indifference. As long as someone has no direct effect in our lives, as long as we don't need that someone for anything at all, we don't care about him. Jesus, on the other hand, looks upon people with a look of mercy, a glance that cares.

As Christians, we need to cast upon others this look of mercy, this glance that cares. We need to imitate Christ who cares for others, who does not consider the crowd as a great bother, but nourishes them and gives them what they need. We should also imitate the early Christians who sold their possessions in order to help those who are in want (Acts 4:32-35).

This is the mark of true Christians - love and concern for others. This is how we are to show Christ to others - by our love.

Bringing Christ

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 12, 2009 (Mk 6:7-13)

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick - no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.

He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.

So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them."

As Christians, we have the responsibility to proclaim the Good News to others. This mission is not only for the priests or for the religious. We, too, are being sent by God to go and proclaim His Word to others. Truly, we who have received God's Word cannot just keep it ourselves. Such a news ought to be proclaimed to all, so that all may benefit.

This mission is not something we will do alone. This is the mission of the Church. Indeed, in Jewish tradition, the account of two people are given much value. You could very well be ignored if you say something with no one supporting you.

There is more than one way of proclaiming God's Word to others. We are not all called to be ordained ministers, but we are called to practice the prophetic mission we have received in our Baptism. We are not all preachers, but we can be prophets who give witness to Jesus' Words through our everyday living.

Yes, in this mission, we bring nothing, just the bare necessities. But what we bring to the world is something of much importance. We bring the news that the Kingdom of God has come and that all are welcome in the Kingdom. We bring Christ Himself.

In our mission, we are able to work out miracles. We are able to drive out demons when we instruct sinners not to sin anymore. We can cure diseases when we alleviate the pain of others. We bring them Christ whom they have not seen before.

Welcoming Our Divine Visitor

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 5, 2009


(Mk 6:1-6)

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house."

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

God became man because He loved mankind and He desired to save them. This is the very story of Christianity. God is too awesome for man to behold. Israel in the Old Testament once said, "If I hear the voice of the Lord my God anymore, or ever again see this great fire, I will die" (Deut 18:16). God, therefore, wanting to save His people, humbled Himself by becoming ordinary, by becoming man. In Jesus, we have a God we can see and hear, a God we can talk to face to face, a God who walks among us, indeed, a God who has visited His people (Lk 7:16).

The problem is that we still look at God as someone high on the pedestal, as someone over the clouds, as "the guy up there". This is probably why Jesus' own people did not accept Him. They were looking for a great God, an awesome God. For them, Jesus was only a carpenter, an ordinary member of their community. They, therefore, rejected their Divine Visitor.

Indeed, it is difficult to understand the humility of God. But we know that God's motive is always for us to be saved.

Sometimes, we become like Jesus' own people. We fail to see God in the ordinary and in the lowly. We don't see God in our neighbor anymore. We don't see Him in the poor, in the sick and in the marginalized. Even in ourselves, we don't see God. We think that God is only in the church.

Jesus said, "I am with you always... (Mt 28:20)". He addressed this to every one of His disciples, even to us. Therefore, we need to recognize that God is in us, that God is in our neighbor, as He also said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Mt 25:40).

Also, like Jesus' own people, we judge others as if we know them enough. We dictate who our neighbors are supposed to be through stereotypes. We therefore render our neighbors unable to improve, unable to be greater than who they are now. We need to admit that we don't know enough to judge our neighbors.

God, in His great love, has come down for us. Let us not look for Him in the skies, for we cannot fly there through our own efforts. Let us just accept Jesus and welcome Him in our hearts. Let us be hospitable to the God who visits us in many ways. Let us recognize His presence in the people around us, in everything we do, even in the ordinary events of our lives.