Ex 16: 2-4, 12-15
Eph 4: 17, 20-24
Jn 6 24-35
The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/080215.cfm
If
we thought for just one moment about the place of food in our lives and how our
lives revolve around it, we might be stunned.
Most of us are concerned about eating too much or eating the wrong
things. In this country, abundance is
the name of the game. Count the number
of restaurants and fast food establishments anywhere near your home. Or the plenty that is available each time we
walk into our local supermarkets. We
have come to expect that this abundance will always be there. If we’re hungry, no matter what time of day
or night, we will always find a place to eat.
That
experience is unknown to so many others, millions actually, in other parts of
the world where food is sparse. There is
no doubt that the distribution of food in the world is uneven and deeply
unjust. While many consider overeating a problem so many others just barely get
by. It is a problem because eating and
drinking are so fundamental to human existence.
This
Sunday is the third Gospel in a series from the Gospel according to John. It offers us reflections, treasured by the
earliest of Christians, on the significance of the Holy Eucharist, that “bread
from heaven” and “bread of life” that Jesus so beautifully speaks of
today.
Our
first reading from Exodus is a key event in the journey of the early Hebrew
people through the desert under the guidance of Moses. Their journey was not an easy one and now
they find themselves desperate and starving in the wasteland. They grumble against Moses who some may have
felt have deceived them; all that after the parting of the Red Sea? Their
statement is somewhat startling when they note that it was better in Egypt even
as slaves where they at least had food to eat.
Moses
pleads to God on their behalf and God provides meat (quail) and manna, a
natural hardened honey substance that can be sweet and substantial. Moses says to them, God now provides this
“bread from heaven.” It was essentiall
strength and a promise for them to keep going and complete the journey; that
God would walk with them always and dwell with them when they arrived at their
final destination.
Today,
our Gospel challenges us as it did the crowds to see in Jesus that same bread
from heaven. Yet, the crowds who were fed by our Lord with bread and fish still
don’t get it. Jesus says to those who
caught up with him: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not
because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves . . . do not work for food
that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life.” Then he goes on
to explain that he is the Father’s “bread of life.”
When we gather at the Eucharist, we see the
ancient yet ever new constant connection between the food which nourished the
Hebrews, this Gospel moment of encounter between Jesus and those fed, and our
celebration of the Eucharist – this bread given to us from heaven
which is our food for the journey through life. It is primarily a gift from God
to those who are hungry for eternal life. Because it is a gift, born of Jesus’
own suffering and death, how we receive that gift is our return to God.
How
do we see this as gift in our liturgy?
Note, that the congregation doesn’t just all come to the altar and grab
what’s on it. Like going to a buffet
where people try to wiggle around each other, reaching over arms and backs
looking for the next salad or cut of beef.
This
food is gift that is given. So we come
to receive from the one who offers it to us.
Eucharistic ministers, for example, gather around to receive from the
priest. They don’t just grab the hosts
or chalices on the altar, they wait to receive them then with the priests and
deacon if there is one, they go down to the general people to give this bread
of life.
We
extend our hands or open our mouth to receive.
We don’t grab it from the priest or minister, we receive it after a
reverent bow to the presence of Christ – his body and blood which is our food
for the journey.
So,
the key is how we receive that gift which is not a “thing” but a person – the
risen Lord of our life. What are we
thinking as we come forward to receive?
What do we say and what do we mean when we proclaim “Amen?” When we return to the pew, not out to our
car, do we give thanks for this mysterious and life giving presence? How grateful are we for the food, the person
we receive? Is it for us just routine or
a living encounter with Christ Jesus?
Like
all the sacraments, this is not magic.
The difference it makes in our life will depend on how disposed we are
and how much faith we muster.
As
we journey through this life let us do more “thank you” than grumbling. For the
God who came to save us has offered us not only an example but the gift of his
mercy. WE are not alone for he is with
us here and always.
Bread
of life; Food for the journey is Christ himself.
Draw near to your servants, O Lord,
and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness,
that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide,
you may restore what you have created
and keep safe what you have restored.
(Collect of Mass)
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