The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 8, 2021 – John 6: 41-51
When I was growing up in the 1950s, I was chosen to be the list-maker to prepare to go shopping at the local supermarket. I can’t tell you EXACTLY when I became aware of the connection between my dad going to work, and our ability to put things into the shopping cart, pay for them, and take them all home. But at a certain point, perhaps when I saw mom or dad hand the cashier payment for our groceries, I began to understand. And later, when we sat down for dinner, and we said grace before our meal, I began to understand that we kids were being loved and fed by our mom, who was a homemaker, and our dad, who was our primary family bread winner.
As I grew older, my appreciation for my parents continued to expand. It became obvious to my sister Meg, my brother Michael and to me, that in addition to feeding us wholesome food, they ALSO fed us in so many different ways. For instance, they ran a constant taxi service to our events, sometimes at three different schools; when changing grades and school buildings, they helped us transition from one school to the next. They also gave us TLC when we were sick: I’ll never forget the amazing Vicks Vapo Rub Pneumonia Removal Tent they engineered in my room for 10 days, when I suffered during a winter with bronchial pneumonia. My parents read to us; they encouraged us to try new things, and not to be afraid. They also functioned as our family’s own Ministry of Consolation for us when our school sports team got defeated. Eventually, we saw that my parents were feeding us not only at meal time, but around the clock!
I suggest to you that the origin of that 24/7 loving care is found in today’s Gospel about Jesus Christ, who identifies himself as the Bread of Life. And for those of us who listen to these words 20 centuries after Jesus repeated this phrase about himself. It’s good to see how filled with meaning they are. First and most especially, when Jesus applies the words I AM to Himself in “I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus is CLEARLY linking Himself to the One True God, who made his divine presence known to Moses. Moses, you will recall, wanted to tell the people of Israel God’s Name, so Moses asked God what His name was. God said, “Tell the people, I AM WHO AM sent you!” Jesus is not ONLY talking about the sacrament of the Eucharist or Holy Communion here: it’s much more inclusive.
Rather, Jesus says that He, his whole way of life, his teachings, his attitudes, and all his relationships with God our Creator and with God’s Holy People are ALL Christ’s attempts NOT ONLY TO INFORM US, but to FEED us. In fact, the Gospel tells us a lot about Jesus Christ as real food and nourishment for our daily living. And when we deepen our love for Christ Jesus, he heals our lives in many ways. 1example: earlier in St. John’s Gospel, an inquiring disciple named Nicodemus starting spending time listening to Jesus. But at the start of this relationship, Nicodemus doesn’t yet know that BEYOND the ordinary and natural order in life, Jesus came to invite us into a supernatural order, one that connects earth with heaven. When Jesus says that we must all be born again by water and the Holy Spirit to be saved, Nicodemus asks Jesus whether a person needs to go back into his mother’s womb and be born again. Jesus, patient as always, tells Nicodemus that he’s talking about a DIFFERENT kind of birth, not another human birth. There’s a lot to learn in every single Gospel passage for us!
And that Gospel selection is an excellent reminder that Jesus is NOT just saving our souls by calling us his own: Jesus came to love and redeem every single dimension of our lives, just as my own parents worried about our physical, emotional, spiritual, social, educational, and every other level. Now, of course, as members of the Body of Christ who are linked to Jesus forever, we are called to believe in Jesus Christ’s true presence in the consecrated communion we receive at Mass: to receive the Holy Eucharist takes us right to God’s Heights, and also to Christ’s eternal and holy depths.
Finally, according to the Second Vatican Council, we also recognize Jesus’ presence here at Mass in several ways: in God’s Holy Word; in you, the assembled and Holy People of God; in the priest who presides over the Eucharist, and in the other six sacraments. Let us look forward to tasting and seeing the Lord’s goodness with EVERY sense God has given us. Let us be filled to the brim with Christ’s true presence all week long, and back here at Mass next weekend. Love, Father Chris Heller
