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THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST AT THE SOURCE & SUMMIT OF OUR FAITH
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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Exodus 16:2-4,12-16 Ephesians 4:17,20-24 John 6:24-35
From the Epistle:
...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.
From the Gospel:
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."
From the 2nd Vatican Council:
Though mankind is stricken with wonder at its own discoveries and its power, it often raises anxious questions about the current trend of the world, about the place and role of [people] in the universe, about the meaning of its individual and collective strivings, and about the ultimate destiny of reality and of humanity. Hence, giving witness and voice to the faith of the whole people of God gathered together by Christ, this council can provide no more eloquent proof of its solidarity with, as well as its respect and love for the entire human family with which it is bound up, than by engaging with it in conversation about these various problems. The council brings to [humanity] light kindled from the Gospel, and puts at its disposal those saving resources which the Church herself, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, receives from her Founder. For the human person deserves to be preserved; human society deserves to be renewed. Hence the focal point of our total presentation will be [the human person], whole and entire, body and soul, heart and conscience, mind and will.
Therefore, this sacred synod, proclaiming the noble destiny of [humanity] and championing the Godlike seed which has been sown in [each person], offers to mankind the honest assistance of the Church in fostering that brotherhood of all which corresponds to this destiny of theirs. Inspired by no earthly ambition, the Church seeks but a solitary goal: to carry forward the work of Christ under the lead of the befriending Spirit. And Christ entered this world to give witness to the truth, to rescue and not to sit in judgment, to serve and not to be served. (Gaudium et Spes 3)
The union of the human family is greatly fortified and fulfilled by the unity, founded on Christ, of the family of God's sons.
Christ, to be sure, gave His Church no proper mission in the political, economic or social order. The purpose which He set before her is a religious one. But out of this religious mission itself come a function, a light and an energy which can serve to structure and consolidate the human community according to the divine law. As a matter of fact, when circumstances of time and place produce the need, she can and indeed should initiate activities on behalf of all men, especially those designed for the needy, such as the works of mercy and similar undertakings.
The Church recognizes that worthy elements are found in today's social movements, especially an evolution toward unity, a process of wholesome socialization and of association in civic and economic realms. The promotion of unity belongs to the innermost nature of the Church, for she is, "thanks to her relationship with Christ, a sacramental sign and an instrument of intimate union with God, and of the unity of the whole human race." (Gaudium et Spes 42)
From the Homily:
Paul Calls the Gentile Christians at Ephesus to continue to grow in their new-found Christian Life. He tells them that there are among them a variety of gifts at work that are to be used for the building up of the body of Christ. This will add to unity within the body and their individual growth into the “full stature of Christ.” He tells the to “take off their old self” which is corrupt; and to “put on a new self” which is crested in God’s image. (The Greek word that is translated “self” is “anthropos” - which means “man” or “human being.” Paul is calling them to a transformation of their very humanity. He tells them to “be renewed in the Spirit of their minds.” This, again, is an image used frequently by Paul (see Romans 12:1-2). Paul reminds us that conversion is not merely something that happens at the beginning of the life of faith, but is our on-going call. Jesus is calling us to an ever-deepening of our faith: closer to him and his Father, closer to each other and closer to our work in the world. This is how the Church matures...
In the Gospel, Jesus calls the crowd to this kind of renewal: an ever deepening understanding of their relationship with God. They are so stuck in their perception of the good, that they cannot see the better that is standing right in front of them. They’re like the Israelites in the first reading who imagine they had it better as slaves in Egypt because their bellies were filled. They have already seen the mighty work of God, but cannot imagine a better way forward. Jesus reminds us that God, nt only provides for our immediate hungers, but knows all the hungers and thirsts of our souls. God wants to quench those thirsts and feed those hunger with eternal food that will satisfy eternally. As His Father sent heavenly bread to the hungry Israelites in the desert, even so now, he wishes to send the true bread of heaven. Like the woman at the well (John 4), who, upon hearing that there was living water which could quench her thirst eternally, asked Jesus to give her this “living water,” the crowd at Capernaum asks Jesus to “Give us this bread always.” And as Jesus assured the woman at the Well that he himself was the living water, now he assures the crowd that He himself is the Bread of Life—the bread of God which comes down from heaven to give life to the world…
Reflection Questions:
1. The image that St. Paul articulates in Ephesians 4 is one of on-going conversion: growing ever closer to the Lord and maturing in that relationship. Can you point to moments or movements of conversion in your Christian life? How would you understand your Christian life as more ”mature” now compared to 5 years ago? 10 years ago? 20 years ago? Longer?
2. Often our contentment with the “present good” keeps us from being open to the future better. What might stand in the way of your answering God’s call to a deeper relationship with him?
3. Jesus is the “true bread that has come down from heaven and gives life to the word.” in what way has the Eucharist been life-giving for you?
4. We who receive the Eucharist become sources of grace for others, dispensing the Bread of Life to those we encounter in the world. How do you understand and live this in your life in the world?
Further Reading:
St . Paul uses the expressions “take off the old” and “put on the new” in his letter to the Ephesians. This is clothing language which is to call to mind the conversion of baptism. Read Paul’s extended understanding of this, especially the moral implications, in Colossians 3:5-17.
MacDonald, Margaret. Colossians and Ephesians, 2008 (This book is part of an excellent series Sacra Pagina, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota)
Oelrich, Anthony. Feeding on the Bread of Life. Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN. 2014.
Readings: Exodus 16:2-4,12-16 Ephesians 4:17,20-24 John 6:24-35
From the Epistle:
...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.
From the Gospel:
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."
From the 2nd Vatican Council:
Though mankind is stricken with wonder at its own discoveries and its power, it often raises anxious questions about the current trend of the world, about the place and role of [people] in the universe, about the meaning of its individual and collective strivings, and about the ultimate destiny of reality and of humanity. Hence, giving witness and voice to the faith of the whole people of God gathered together by Christ, this council can provide no more eloquent proof of its solidarity with, as well as its respect and love for the entire human family with which it is bound up, than by engaging with it in conversation about these various problems. The council brings to [humanity] light kindled from the Gospel, and puts at its disposal those saving resources which the Church herself, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, receives from her Founder. For the human person deserves to be preserved; human society deserves to be renewed. Hence the focal point of our total presentation will be [the human person], whole and entire, body and soul, heart and conscience, mind and will.
Therefore, this sacred synod, proclaiming the noble destiny of [humanity] and championing the Godlike seed which has been sown in [each person], offers to mankind the honest assistance of the Church in fostering that brotherhood of all which corresponds to this destiny of theirs. Inspired by no earthly ambition, the Church seeks but a solitary goal: to carry forward the work of Christ under the lead of the befriending Spirit. And Christ entered this world to give witness to the truth, to rescue and not to sit in judgment, to serve and not to be served. (Gaudium et Spes 3)
The union of the human family is greatly fortified and fulfilled by the unity, founded on Christ, of the family of God's sons.
Christ, to be sure, gave His Church no proper mission in the political, economic or social order. The purpose which He set before her is a religious one. But out of this religious mission itself come a function, a light and an energy which can serve to structure and consolidate the human community according to the divine law. As a matter of fact, when circumstances of time and place produce the need, she can and indeed should initiate activities on behalf of all men, especially those designed for the needy, such as the works of mercy and similar undertakings.
The Church recognizes that worthy elements are found in today's social movements, especially an evolution toward unity, a process of wholesome socialization and of association in civic and economic realms. The promotion of unity belongs to the innermost nature of the Church, for she is, "thanks to her relationship with Christ, a sacramental sign and an instrument of intimate union with God, and of the unity of the whole human race." (Gaudium et Spes 42)
From the Homily:
Paul Calls the Gentile Christians at Ephesus to continue to grow in their new-found Christian Life. He tells them that there are among them a variety of gifts at work that are to be used for the building up of the body of Christ. This will add to unity within the body and their individual growth into the “full stature of Christ.” He tells the to “take off their old self” which is corrupt; and to “put on a new self” which is crested in God’s image. (The Greek word that is translated “self” is “anthropos” - which means “man” or “human being.” Paul is calling them to a transformation of their very humanity. He tells them to “be renewed in the Spirit of their minds.” This, again, is an image used frequently by Paul (see Romans 12:1-2). Paul reminds us that conversion is not merely something that happens at the beginning of the life of faith, but is our on-going call. Jesus is calling us to an ever-deepening of our faith: closer to him and his Father, closer to each other and closer to our work in the world. This is how the Church matures...
In the Gospel, Jesus calls the crowd to this kind of renewal: an ever deepening understanding of their relationship with God. They are so stuck in their perception of the good, that they cannot see the better that is standing right in front of them. They’re like the Israelites in the first reading who imagine they had it better as slaves in Egypt because their bellies were filled. They have already seen the mighty work of God, but cannot imagine a better way forward. Jesus reminds us that God, nt only provides for our immediate hungers, but knows all the hungers and thirsts of our souls. God wants to quench those thirsts and feed those hunger with eternal food that will satisfy eternally. As His Father sent heavenly bread to the hungry Israelites in the desert, even so now, he wishes to send the true bread of heaven. Like the woman at the well (John 4), who, upon hearing that there was living water which could quench her thirst eternally, asked Jesus to give her this “living water,” the crowd at Capernaum asks Jesus to “Give us this bread always.” And as Jesus assured the woman at the Well that he himself was the living water, now he assures the crowd that He himself is the Bread of Life—the bread of God which comes down from heaven to give life to the world…
Reflection Questions:
1. The image that St. Paul articulates in Ephesians 4 is one of on-going conversion: growing ever closer to the Lord and maturing in that relationship. Can you point to moments or movements of conversion in your Christian life? How would you understand your Christian life as more ”mature” now compared to 5 years ago? 10 years ago? 20 years ago? Longer?
2. Often our contentment with the “present good” keeps us from being open to the future better. What might stand in the way of your answering God’s call to a deeper relationship with him?
3. Jesus is the “true bread that has come down from heaven and gives life to the word.” in what way has the Eucharist been life-giving for you?
4. We who receive the Eucharist become sources of grace for others, dispensing the Bread of Life to those we encounter in the world. How do you understand and live this in your life in the world?
Further Reading:
St . Paul uses the expressions “take off the old” and “put on the new” in his letter to the Ephesians. This is clothing language which is to call to mind the conversion of baptism. Read Paul’s extended understanding of this, especially the moral implications, in Colossians 3:5-17.
MacDonald, Margaret. Colossians and Ephesians, 2008 (This book is part of an excellent series Sacra Pagina, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota)
Oelrich, Anthony. Feeding on the Bread of Life. Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN. 2014.