Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 07-29-12, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 07-29-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

 

Catholic

Almanac:

Sunday, July 29

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Memorial of St. Martha. She was the sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany. Upon the death of Lazarus it was to St. Martha that Jesus proclaimed, "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: July 29, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

• Fruit Tapioca Parfait
• Pink and White Meringue Torte
• Potatoes and Peas in Cream
• Shrimp Marsala

ACTIVITIES

• Childhood Games
• Homemade Prayer Book for Preschool Children
• Make Your Own Chef's Hat
• Story-Telling

PRAYERS

• Ordinary Time, After Pentecost: Table Blessing 1
• Ordinary Time, After Pentecost: Table Blessing 2

LIBRARY

• By the Babe Unborn | G. K. Chesterton
• Christ the Source of Resurrection and Life | Unknown
• God Alone Is My Every Good, My Life | Pope John Paul II

Ordinary Time: July 29th

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten (Jn 6:11-13).

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

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Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Second Book of Kings 4:42-44. We have here an incident from the life of Elisha, the prophet in Israel who inherited the mantle of the great Elijah. He prophesied in Israel during the second half of the 9th century. By anointing Jehu as king of Israel, he helped to bring about the overthrow of Achab's dynasty which had introduced the worship of Baal into Israel and had almost paganized the whole northern kingdom. This reading describes a miracle worked by Elisha

The second reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 4:1-6. St. Paul lays great stress on Christian unity which is the essence of the faith. In these six verses he gives a sevenfold formula of unity on which the various aspects of true Christian unity are based.

The Gospel is from St. John 6:1-15. Although Jesus had the intention of preparing the minds of the multitude for his discourse on the heavenly food which he would make next day, his principal motive in working this miracle was pity and compassion. He knew that they were hungry—they had been away from home all day and some for many days.

They were willing to suffer this inconvenience but he did not want them to do so. Even though he knew there were some among them who would never accept him, and perhaps even some who would be among the rabble that demanded his crucifixion on Good Friday; yet he made no distinction. He had compassion on them all.

This miracle should surely convince us that Christ is interested in our daily needs too, just as he was interested in those of his contemporaries in Palestine. Our principal and only real purpose in life is to be saved and Christ is ever ready to help us. However, we have first to travel through our earthly life so, of necessity, we have to take a passing interest in the affairs of this world. We have to provide for our earthly needs and for those of any others who may depend on us. For many, in fact for the vast majority of men, this has always been and will be a struggle against great odds. Here, too, Christ is ever ready to help us. He has a true interest in our progress through life and if we turn to him trustfully and sincerely, he will help us over our difficulties.

This does not mean that we can expect or demand a miracle whenever we find ourselves in difficulties. If, however, we are true to Christ and to the faith in our daily lives, he will find ways and means of freeing us from difficulties which would otherwise overcome us. If we look back over our past we may notice occasions when we were saved from grave difficulties by some unexpected intervention. We may not even have called on Christ to help us but he knew our needs and he answered our unspoken request. Those five thousand hungry people had not asked him for food, but he knew their needs. He knew too that their needs were caused by their desire to be in his presence—so he gave them what they had not thought of asking for. If we are loyal to him we, too, can trust that his mercy and power will be with us in our hour of need. He may not remove the cause of our difficulty. Remember St. Paul who had some bodily infirmity which he thought impeded his effectiveness as a missioner? Three times he pleaded with Christ to remove this 'infirmity, but Christ assured him: "my grace is sufficient for you." He would prove all the more effectively that he was Christ's Apostle by preaching in spite of that infirmity: "for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12: 7-9). Thus it may be that Christ will use the very difficulty from which we are suffering, to bring us and others into more intimate union with him. Many of the saints suffered great hardships and afflictions during their years on earth—these very afflictions were Christ's gifts to them. Without these, and the virtues of patience, faith and trust which they had to practice, they might not be among God's elect today.

We must rest assured then that Christ is intimately interested in our daily lives on earth. We must not expect that this interest of his will remove all shadows from our path. This would not be for our eternal good—and our eternal happiness is Christ's first interest in us. It should also be our own first and principal interest too. It will help us, too, to bear with our lot, if we look about us and see so many others who are worse off, or at least as badly off as we are especially with regard to the snags of life. Christian charity will move us to help them; we may not be able to give them any material help, but we can help to lighten their load by showing our sincere interest in them and by offering words of comfort and consolation. This is the only charity that the poor have to offer to their fellow sufferers, but if it is Christ-inspired its effects will reach to heaven.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 6:1-15

 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” (John 6:9)

Have you ever noticed that some­times when you bring your gifts to Jesus as this young boy did, noth­ing much seems to happen? They just seem to sit there, undeveloped and underappreciated. Did you ever think that perhaps, to use a business parallel, the blockage is on the distri­bution side?

Jesus didn’t tell his disciples to just sit quietly while he multiplied the loaves. He told them to have the people recline—he told them to get the crowd ready for the mir­acle he was about to do. Similarly, Elisha didn’t explain away his ser­vant’s objections, he simply repeated his instruction: “Give [the food] to the people to eat” (2 Kings 4:43). It wasn’t time to sit by and wait for Jesus to do something; it was time to get to work! And so the disciples organized the people into groups sitting on the grass, and Elisha’s ser­vant started handing out the food. That’s when the miracles happened.

So if you want to see your offer­ings to God multiplied, you have an essential role to play. You may not be working the miracle yourself, but you do need to get out there and do something! It’s impossible to know what that “something” is in each sit­uation. We all have different gifts, different life situations, different opportunities that will present them­selves today. But one thing is sure: Each of us will have an opportunity to do something important for the kingdom of God.

Starting today, try your best to be open to your Father’s promptings when it comes to the people you meet, the situations you encounter, and the movements of your heart. And then take a step in whatever direction you think he is leading you. The result may surprise you!

“Heavenly Father, I am not sure how to start. But I will take a step in faith today. Show me what you have for me to do, and how my gifts can bear fruit for your kingdom.”

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Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

(2 Kings 4:42-44; Psalm 145:10-11,15-18; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:1-15)

1. In the first reading the prophet Elisha feeds a hundred people in a story that prefigures Christ’s miracle of the multiplication of loaves. In the “Our Father,” we ask the Lord for “our daily bread.” In what ways does the Lord feed you and provide you with daily sustenance?

2. In the responsorial Psalm we read again that God feeds his “faithful ones” and satisfies all of their desires. What are the desires in your life that bring you closer to God? What are the desires in your life that keep you from God?

3. The Responsorial Psalm goes on to say these words: “The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.” How important do you think it is to call upon the Lord in a daily time of personal prayer and Scripture reading? If you don’t have a daily time of personal prayer and Scripture reading, are you willing to commit 15 minutes a day to it? If not, what are your reasons?

4. In today’s short reading from the letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul urges us to “to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.” As inspiring as these words are, we all tend to reduce this invitation to specific points of action: I have to do this good thing and I have to avoid that temptation. But these can all be just a matter of human striving and doesn’t necessarily lead to fulfilling God’s call. How would you describe God’s call for your life? What new steps can you take to change the things in your life that are keeping you from living “in a manner worthy of the call”?

5. The Gospel relates the story of the multiplication of the loaves, which itself prefigures the Eucharist. The bread in this story sustains earthly life, while the Eucharist sustains us for eternity and is the full manifestation of Christ’s boundless love for us. It is a meal we share together in humility as Catholics, a sign and cause of unity. What steps can you take to deepen your experience of Christ, and his love for you, when you receive the Eucharist?

6. In the meditation, we hear these words: “We all have different gifts, different life situations, different opportunities that will present themselves today. But one thing is sure: Each of us will have an opportunity to do something important for the kingdom of God.” The meditation goes on to encourage us with these words: “Starting today, try your best to be open to your Father’s promptings when it comes to the people you meet, the situations you encounter, and the movements of your heart. And then take a step in whatever direction you think he is leading you. The result may surprise you!” What obstacles get in the way of your saying yes to the “Father’s promptings”? What can you do to overcome them?

7. Take some time now to pray for a greater openness to using the gifts God has giving you to bear fruit for his kingdom. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

LET’S PRAY FOR THE CHURCH

By: Joe Difato 

SOME CATHOLICS today don’t go to Mass or only attend Mass occasionally. And those of us who do go can find ourselves distracted at times, thinking more about what we have to do during the day and less about meeting Jesus and being filled by Him. Yet at every Mass, Jesus is with us, urging us to lift up our hearts to Him. He is urging us to lift up our hearts to Him. He is urging us to listen closely to His word and let our hearts burn with His love. 

Let’s pray for all those who don’t come to Mass or don’t know the joy of meeting Jesus in the Eucharist. Let’s also pray for ourselves, that we will find the grace to fix our eyes on Jesus and continue to travel on the road He has laid out for us. Let’s not pull over to the side of the road and think that this is all that Jesus has to offer. Let’s not mistake the road signs for the destination. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to lift everyone up to a new and deeper recognition of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. 

Note: Taken from: THE WORD AMONG US, June 2001, page 14. Joe Difato was founding publisher of the magazine.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

THE PRESENCE OF JESUS HIMSELF WAS ALL THAT WAS NEEDED  

(A biblical refection on THE 17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – July 29, 2012) 

Gospel Reading: John 6:1-15 

First Reading: 2Kings 4:42-44; Psalms: Ps 145:10-11,15-18; Second Reading: Eph 4:1-6 

The Scripture Text

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a multitude followed Him, because they saw the signs which He did on those who were diseased. Jesus went up into the hills, and there sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up His eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to Him, Jesus said to Phillip, “How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” This He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples, “Gather up the fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign which He had done, they said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!”

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus withdrew again to the hills by Himself. (Jn 6:1-15) 

As Passover approached, Jesus took His disciples into the hills of Galilee. When He saw a large crowd coming toward them, His primary concern was for their needs. Consequently, He decided to provide for them with the miraculous sign of the loaves and fish.

Of all the accounts of this event in the gospels, John’s is the only one to mention the feast of Passover (Jn 6:4), the great Jewish feast recalling how God rescued His people from Egypt and fed them with manna in the wilderness. YHWH graciously gave them bread from heaven as their daily food to sustain them. Even when the people grumbled and went astray, they were never without manna.  In every situation, even in rebellion, God was committed to teaching them to rely on Him for their needs.

In a similar way, Jesus was concerned to teach Philip and Andrew – as well as the thousands who had come to hear Him preach – what it meant to rely upon Him alone. Both Andrew and Philip had travelled with Jesus and had seen firsthand the miracles He performed. Yet, when Jesus tested them with the question about where to buy bread, Philip failed to comprehend that the presence of Jesus Himself was all that was needed. Andrew recognized that Jesus was able to work some miracles, but supposed that He needed some small amount of bread and fish to work with (Jn 6:8). But Jesus knew that He could provide abundantly for the physical and spiritual needs of all who had come to Him.

Even today, Jesus Christ is still all that is needed to provide the fullness of life for those who come to Him. God still works in every situation of our lives to bring us closer to His Son. He is constantly teaching us to trust in Him by asking us to obey Him and entrust our needs to His care.

Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the bread of life come down from heaven, and You will never fail us. We trust in You to bring us into eternal life. Teach us to remain at rest as we rely on You to sustain every aspect of our lives through faith. Thank You, Jesus – my Lord and Savior. Amen.

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for July 29, 2012:

Have you ever had to feed a large crowd? Perhaps more guests came than you planned. Yes, plan ahead, but when circumstances surprise you, take what you have, give thanks, and offer it. It will be enough. Don’t fight with your spouse over who didn’t plan enough.

[Salvation]

Sunday Scripture Study

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time  -  Cycle B

July 29, 2012

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer  

First Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44

Psalm: 145:10-11, 15-18

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6

Gospel Reading: John 6:1-15

• The Gospel Readings for the next five weeks have shifted from the Gospel of Mark to the Gospel of John—specifically John 6, the Bread of Life discourse, which in turn leads to Jesus’ great teaching on the Eucharist.

• The multiplication of the loaves is the fourth of the seven great “signs” recounted in John’s gospel and one of only two that involve food (see John 2:1-11). It is the only miracle that is recounted in all four gospel accounts. They are called signs in John’s gospel rather than miracles because they point to profound realities that transcend their original limited purposes.

• In multiplying the loaves, Jesus recalls a similar miracle performed by the great Old Testament prophet Elisha that we hear about in our first reading (2 Kings 4:42-44). Jesus miracle, however, is much greater, befitting his greater status as Messiah and God. Whereas Elisha starts with twenty loaves, Jesus starts with only five; Elisha feeds one hundred men, while Jesus feeds “about five thousand;” Elisha has “some bread” left over, while Jesus’ multiplication produces twelve wicker baskets full of leftovers (representing the twelve tribes of Israel).

• Last week, Mark tells us that Jesus had just finished teaching the crowds “many things” (Mark 6:30-34). He has just fed them with the word of God and with physical food—now he will prepare them to be fed with the Bread of Life.

 

QUESTIONS:

• Who was “the Prophet” that the people thought Jesus might be (verse 14; Deuteronomy 18:15-19)? Who else did they identify with this figure (John 1:21)? Which one of them was it?

• The miracle in today’s gospel is the fourth of seven “signs” recorded in John’s gospel. Of what were the signs an indicator or proof (CCC 547-49)? What are the most obvious signs of God’s presence in the world for you?

• Why are the crowds following Jesus at this point (verse 2)? What makes a disciple genuine (Mark 8:34-38)? Do you only petition Jesus for material things? Have you ever asked him to change your heart or to help you fulfill his will in your life?

• Why do you think the signs of the Eucharist are bread and wine (Matthew 26:23-26; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 2:1-11, 6:1-15)? Do you try to find an explanation for supernatural things? Do you feel you have to have scientific proof in order to believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist?

• In the 2^nd reading, St. Paul speaks eloquently about Christian unity and love among the brethren. How is the Eucharist the ultimate sign and reality of unity as Christ intended it?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 1338, 547-549, 439

 

There He is: King of kings and Lord of lords, hidden in the bread. To this extreme He humbled Himself for love of you.  –St. Josemaria Escriva

 

[Salvation]

Conditions for Working a Miracle

Pastor’s Column

17^th Sunday Ordinary time

July 29, 2012

 

There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;

But what good are these for so many?

                                                            John 6:9

 

          Jesus has a knack in the Gospels for getting the disciples into seemingly impossible situations, and he frequently does so with his followers today! Jesus saw the vast crowds, and felt sorry for them, so he began to teach them at great length. In fact, he spoke so long that the people ran out of food!  Was this an accident? No, the Lord intended this as a test for the disciples. In fact, it seems he had deliberately led them into another impossible situation (John 6:1-15). It is in precisely these types of difficulties, when something is beyond our abilities, that the miraculous will often occur.

 

          The gospel of the loaves and fishes lays out a number of conditions for a miracle:

 

·       Some type of situation has occurred that is seemingly beyond what humans can accomplish on their own.

·       Jesus has been invited to the situation.

·       Some faith (even a little bit!) is necessary for divine intervention.

·       The more impossible it is the more likely it is that the Lord will act.

·       God makes use of what we have (in this case, a simple basket of loaves and fish.

·       Most importantly, we must do our part! We may not have enough on our own, but Christ will still ask us to give what we have.

 

         Many of God’s miracles are hidden ones. Notice that the multiplication of the loaves and fishes takes place while hidden in baskets that were being passed around. In the same way, miracles surround us if we have the eyes to see them. I believe we are constantly helped by the Lord, the angels, the saints and the Holy Spirit, but often in ways we don’t notice or become aware of only in hindsight. But Jesus often does not make his presence obvious – in order to increase our faith.

 

          Everything Jesus permits and does in our lives has one end in mind: to get us to heaven. His miracles always will lead to this end and not just to make us healthy, well-fed, or happy.   Often, it is better for us to remain in suffering until we have learned the lesson that was necessary. Most importantly, he always respects our human dignity! Even if we have only a few loaves and fishes to offer, he will accept that small offering and miraculously multiply our fruitfulness!

 

                                                                          Father Gary

[Salvation]

17th Sunday: So little, so much

"Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them . . ."

The Word: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/072912.cfm

2 Kings 4: 43-44

Eph 4: 1-6
Jn 6: 1-15

Early in our school years we learn the discipline of our multiplication tables.  As a child, my first impression of them was as a kind of game: 3 X 3 = 9; 5 x 5 = 25; 9 x 3 = 27, etc. Do you know your 3’s or your 7’s? Such simple numbers we can do in our head.  But throw a more challenging set of numbers at you such as 973 x 237 =? Now, where’s that calculator? 

The point of these equations is that they increase “exponentially” we might say.  From something that is small we quickly calculate a greater increase: 3 quickly become nine when another 3 is multiplied with it.  And on it goes. More and more without limit until we get into a number so enormous that it is hard to comprehend.  

It seems Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel took great advantage of this same principle.  The crowds before him, as we heard last Sunday, were vast.  They were hungry for leadership and they found in Jesus a potentially great leader whose mysterious power impressed them.  They saw his healing of the very sick. They felt the effect of his words upon their hearts.  And now, a more basic need is presented. They’re tired and hungry so Jesus decides to feed them in an extraordinary way. He multiplies the scant food that is present – 30, 60, a hundred, and a thousand fold. 

We could just stop there and say this was likely one of the most amazing and impressive miracles – or “signs” as John refers to the miracles of Jesus. It indeed left an impression on those who shared in the multiplied loaves and fish.  After all, why wouldn’t it?  As we will hear in next week’s Gospel (Jn 6: 24-35) , a continuation of this one, they wanted more of the same. But John wants us to see far more than just an amazing miracle of Jesus here.

Yes, Our Lord came to feed us. To reconcile humankind with God and to gather back into the fold those who have gone astray.  But this encounter with Jesus on the mountaintop was and is far more than feeding people.  It is more about conversion of heart and life.  Those who heard Jesus teach, those who were touched by his healing power and forgiven of their sins, were forever changed or at least invited to begin that process in their lives.

From the small amount of food, five barley loaves and two dried fish, Jesus not only feeds the hungry crowd of thousands but is calling them to recognize him as the ultimate sign of God’s presence among them. In the heat of such an astounding event it would be easy to understand how the general crowd might miss the real point of it all. When you’re hungry, you’re hungry and nature sort of takes over.

But now that they were fed, Jesus invites them, as John always does in his Gospel, to see this “sign” as something more than what appears on the surface.  The bread and fish become food, which sustains life, which has its origin from Jesus, whose power and person is able to bring lasting change of heart and life.  This all lies behind an event along the Sea of Galilee that reverberates to our own day today.

For the early Christians, and beyond, the Church has pointed to this event as a foreshadow of the Eucharist. 

The vast crowd is gathered.  So too are we assembled with one another as the Mass is to begin.  The priest, in the person of Christ, leads the celebration. He reads the Word of God in the Gospel. Jesus has been teaching the crowds his word.

As the gifts, the food of bread and wine, are brought to the altar we can see the bread and fish offered to Christ.  Symbolically, the bread is minimal in relation to the people assembled.  So too was the pittance of food presented to Jesus in relation to the thousands gathered along the hillside.

Jesus took what he was given, gave thanks as the Priest does in the Eucharistic Prayer, and then distributed the now multiplied food to the crowds.  So too is Communion distributed to the gathered Church.  The crowds before Jesus ate to a level of satisfaction – “as much of the fish as they wanted.”

Into their hands was given bread and fish.  Into our hands is given Christ himself truly present under signs of bread and wine – his Body and Blood.  Christ himself becomes the food we eat.

After all was completed, some continued to pursue Jesus for more.  Others likely went off to tell about what had happened and about who had made it happen. In that sense, they bore witness to Christ himself.

In the same way, once we have received this Bread from Heaven we are called to become a sign ourselves of the living Christ as we live the faith we profess.

For the hungry and tired crowd, lost like sheep without a shepherd as Jesus' commented last Sunday, the food satisfies only temporarily.  It is the encounter with the living Christ that brings change.  So to for us - expoenetially over time as we allow God's grace to grow within us.  

Like the Apostles sent on mission to the surrounding towns, we may or may not be received well.  But, we have born witness to what we have heard and to who we have consumed.  In that way, the faith continues to be multiplied over again. 

 

Fr. Tim  

[Salvation]

Insight Scoop

The Shock of the Blessed Sacrament

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, July 29, 2012 | Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• 2 Kgs 4:42-44
• Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
• Eph 4:1-6
• Jn 6:1-15

When...I began working my way through the many Catholic beliefs that both puzzled and attracted me, one really stood out: the Eucharist.

And of all the various Scripture passages I read, re-read, and studied, there was one that especially shook me to the core: the sixth chapter of John. As I read what is among the most astounding and brilliantly realized passages of the Bible, the tension would build to the moment when Jesus, with serene firmness, asked of his murmuring disciples, “Does this shock you?”

Yes, I thought to myself, it does shock me. What to think? What to do?

The center of the shock is located in John 6:51-59, where Jesus stated emphatically, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you” (Jn. 6:53). But to appreciate more profoundly the mystery of the great Bread of Life discourse, we need to start at the beginning of the chapter and slowly work through the various stages of explosive revelation found in what is an argument, a teaching, a prophetic utterance, and, ultimately, a direct encounter with the heart of Jesus Christ.

Today’s Gospel reading is the first of five successive weeks of readings from John 6. These opening fifteen verses establish both the physical and theological context of what follows. Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee with a large crowd following on land; the people were curious about the miracles and signs performed by the Nazarene.

St. John notes, quite purposefully, that Jesus “went up on the mountain,” which indicates that God was about to work in a miraculous and startling way. The Evangelist also indicates the feast of Passover was near; this was the second Passover during Jesus’ public ministry. During the first Passover, Jesus had cleared the Temple and then prophesied rather cryptically his death and resurrection (Jn. 2:19-22). Later in John 6, Jesus spoke again about his death and resurrection (6:51). And the third Passover, of course, was when Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified (Jn. 19:14).

The Passover context is significant for this central Jewish feast was a solemn ceremony in remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt, a pivotal and defining moment in Jewish history. At that first Passover (Ex. 12) the people were commanded to take an unblemished lamb, kill it, and spread the blood over the doorposts. They were then commanded to eat the lamb completely, along with unleavened bread. Down through time the Jews celebrated the Passover with a feast involving bread and wine and the singing of Psalms, followed by the sacrificing of lambs in the Temple.

Jesus is described as the Lamb of God “who takes away the sin of the world” in the opening chapter of John’s Gospel (Jn. 1:29). In the sixth chapter, then, the essential themes are sustenance, sacrifice, and salvation. The sustenance was, first of all, physical in nature. Jesus was quite aware of the basic needs of those following him. But the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes was not simply about physical satisfaction, but was the start of spiritual challenge and illumination.

In a pattern described several times in the Fourth Gospel—think of Nicodemus (Jn. 3) or the Samaritan woman at the well (Jn. 4)—Jesus began with a physical object or event, such as birth or water, and used it as a springboard into deep spiritual waters. Those waters, in turn, are shown to be sacramental in nature. As we will see over the next few weeks, the physical sign of multiplying bread—itself a symbol pointing to the reality of the Eucharist—led to the declaration of a spiritual truth, “I am the bread of life” (Jn. 6:35).

That, in turn, will bring us face to face with the sacramental reality—“For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed” (Jn. 6:55)—and the question: “Does this shock you?”

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the July 26, 2009, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

One must have friendships in life

By

Father Mark

 on July 29, 2012 7:38 AM |

 

Father Paul Labutte was Mother Yvonne-Aimée's beloved spiritual son and friend. He met her in 1927 when he was a 19 year old seminarian. Yvonne Beauvais was 26 years old at the time. Later, as an Augustinian Hospitaller Canoness and Superior, she wrote to Father Labutte freely about friendship and affection. Her point of view was fully human, wise, and mature. The translation is my own:

Francis de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal, Saint John Eudes and Marie des Vallées, Olier and Marie de Valence. Why? Because (even on the supernatural level) man and woman have qualities that complete one another. The Lord Himself had His preferences [John the Evangelist]. He didn't shout about it. It is, of course, something that cannot be said, nor can it be advised in advance. But one must have friendships in life. [ . . .] Let yourself love. There is no danger so long as the spirit of prayer exists in you. And young priests have hours of loneliness that are very hard. They need affection and tenderness. If you don't give it to them, they will go looking for it just anywhere.

The Good God, one loves Him without seeing Him. Also, at certain hours we need someone to show us affection: a mother, a sister, a brother. Otherwise, if the heart is not anchored, it goes anywhere at all, and is lost. The same is true for a religious. The Superior must be a mother: her community, a family.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

A Miracle That Kept on Giving

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

John 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 bit." 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.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you, the Holy Trinity, dwell in my soul. Thank you for the joy of your friendship and love. I hope in you; I hope that you will guide me and my loved ones home to heaven, where we can delight in your presence forever. I love you and long to be a better instrument of your love.

Petition: Lord, help me to achieve an unconditional trust in you.

1. A Test to Get Us to Grow in Trust: It was clear that Jesus’ disciples did not have the means to help these people out of their predicament -- neither in ready available cash nor in locating a nearby market large enough to feed the overburdening crowd. Yet Scripture says, “He said this to test him.” Let this passage remind us that God can allow our problems to become so big and desperate as to show forth his power. God wants us to trust in him and to purify our intentions along our journey of faith. How great our Lord is in solving the unsolvable and making possible the impossible. He cures the incurable, raises people from the dead, and, most importantly, converts the erring sinner. “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:38). Do I easily give up hope when I don’t see a human solution to a situation? Blessed is he who believes that what the Lord promises will be fulfilled (Cf. Luke 1:46).

2. Our Lord Wants Us to Play a Part in His Miracle: God has the power of creating something out of nothing, but he asks for human collaboration, even if it is minimal. Here it is no different. The apostles are utterly poor: they can bring to Our Lord only five loaves and two fish from a boy they find in the crowd. Jesus asks us to contribute because he wants to teach us to be generous, even when we think we have nothing to give. Actually, it is when we give from our want that we most please Our Lord (Cf. Luke 21:1-4). Poverty is never an excuse for a lack of generosity in serving and working for Our Lord. This miracle proves to us that Our Lord can never be outdone in generosity.

3. Don’t Miss the Point: In this scene Our Lord slowly prepared his apostles and disciples for his teaching on the Real Presence in the Eucharist. He had to purify their hearts and prune out attachment to the things of this world in order for them to accept the difficult teaching about his self-giving love found in the Eucharist. Even so, when he saw that the people were about to miss the point of his miracle, Our Lord “withdrew again to the mountain alone” (John 6:15). Sometimes Our Lord withdraws the comfort and consolation of his presence in our lives because we wrongly interpret their meaning and purpose. Do I properly discern the spirit in my heart when I pray? Am I happy only for things that gives me comfort, or am I truly coming closer to Christ because I recognize who he is and return to him the same authentic love he gives me and wants from me?

Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for this meditation and the lessons I learned from it. Keep me generous so I may never lose my trust in you. When the situations of my life seem unsolvable, help me to trust that in your time, you will work your wonders in my life, bringing glory to your name.

Resolution: I will make a visit to the Eucharist or a spiritual communion each day this week, offering this sacrifice of time for the conversion of the hearts of those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, or do not love you, Lord, in the Eucharist.

[Salvation]

Hidden Meaning of the Loaves and Fishes

• Faith
• July 26th, 2012
• Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

Finding the hidden meanings. Unraveling mysteries. Deciphering symbols. The thrill inherent in all this is partly why Dan Brown’s book, The Da Vinci Code, sold so well.

But Brown’s secret code, the 2000 year chain of clues supposedly leading to the true identity of Jesus and his holy grail, is simply a parody of the real mystery embedded in history. The writer of this authentic code is the Holy Spirit and the code book is the Bible. For thousands of years people have “searched the Scriptures” under the guidance of the same Spirit who inspired them, looking for connections between people, places, things. They’ve discovered one coherent story of salvation history amidst many different books, written in different genres and styles, by many different human writers over the course of centuries.

This Sunday, the Church has put together readings to bring out connections that many of us would fail to see without a little help. Just about every Christian has heard the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, in fact numerous times. But we’ve probably overlooked the fact that they were barley loaves. What significance could that have?

Plenty. First of all, someone in the Old Testament had multiplied loaves, and they too were barley loaves. Elisha was the successor of Elijah, the greatest of all the prophets. Elijah had multiplied flour and oil to save a widow and her son from starvation. Elisha did a bit better than his master, multiplying 20 barley loaves so as to feed 100, with some even left over. But in the Gospel, Jesus multiplies 5 barley loaves and feeds 5,000, leaving 12 baskets left over. We’re talking serious one-upmanship here.

So here’s one clear message: Jesus is a prophet greater than even Elijah and Elisha.

But there is someone else who is referenced here, though you have to look a bit harder to see him. Did anyone else in the Old Testament provide bread for God’s people in the wilderness?  Of course! Moses and the manna. What is the symbolic number associated with Moses? There are five books of Moses which are called the Torah or Pentateuch. No wonder Jesus starts with five barley loaves. He is transforming the Mosaic Law into something much bigger, greater, and more nourishing. Moses predicted that God would raise up a prophet like himself (Deuteronomy 18:18). The people got the point–Jesus had to slip away to avoid them making him king (John 6:14-15).

But let’s get back to those barley loaves. There is even more symbolism here to probe. Barley is the first grain to be harvested in the spring, and the feast of unleavened bread celebrates the first fruits of the barley harvest. Jesus performs this miracle as Passover approaches, and will go on later in John 6 to explain that he himself is the bread of life. The miracle of the loaves points backwards to great events in the Old Testament to give us clues as to who Jesus really is. But it also points forward to the future, to what Jesus will do in the upper room on the night before he died and which will made present again in every Eucharist. The people recline where there is much grass, verdant pastures (Psalm 23), and the Good Shepherd, after giving thanks (eucharistia in biblical Greek) feeds them with rich fare that causes their cup to run over with blessings of not only earthly satisfaction, but eternal life.

How many baskets of scraps are left over? Twelve, the mystical number symbolizing God’s people. Twelve tribes, twelve patriarchs, and now twelve apostles, the patriarchs of the New Israel gathering up the remnants of a feast that will be the new covenant meal of God’s new people, the celebration of their deliverance, the new food for the journey to the true promised land, heaven.

But how about the fish? What do they symbolize? You’ll have to do some research and figure that one out for yourself!

 

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio writes from Texas.

[Salvation]

Believe in Miracles

• Homily of the Day
• July 29th, 2012
• My Catholic

First Reading: 1 2 Kgs 4:42-44

Psalm: 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18

Second Reading: 2 Eph 4:1-6

Gospel: Jn 6:1-15

In our secular humanistic culture, we tend to deny the miracles of Jesus. For instance, some people maintain that Jesus didn’t really multiply the loaves and the fish but just got everybody to share. By looking at the context of Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves and the fish in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, we can determine that Jesus actually did the miracle of multiplication.

In the first half of John’s Gospel, the multiplication of the loaves and the fish is the fourth of seven signs. All the signs are clearly miraculous according to the traditional meaning of miracles, that is, a divine intervention in nature. The first three signs are: Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine at Cana (Jn 2:1ff); the instantaneous, long-range healing of a royal official’s terminally ill son (Jn 4:46ff); and the immediate healing of a man who had been seriously ill for thirty-eight years (Jn 5:5ff). The last three signs of John’s Gospel are: Jesus’ walking on water and the apostles’ boat going two or three miles in one second (Jn 6:19ff), the healing of the man born blind (Jn 9:1ff), and the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1ff). If the multiplication of the loaves and fish were not miraculous in the traditional sense, it would not fit into John’s Gospel, not inspire the people to try and make Jesus their King (Jn 6:15), and not prepare for Jesus’ unashamed proclamation of the miracle of His flesh and blood being given to us as our food and drink (Jn 6:55). Believe in miracles. Believe in Jesus, the Miracle-Worker.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Sunday, July 29, 2012 >>

17th Sunday Ordinary Time Saint of the Day

2 Kings 4:42-44
Ephesians 4:1-6
View Readings

Psalm 145:10-11, 15-18
John 6:1-15

BELIEVE IN MIRACLES

"Not even with two hundred days' wages could we buy loaves enough to give each of them a mouthful!" —John 6:7

 

In our secular humanistic culture, we tend to deny the miracles of Jesus. For instance, some people maintain that Jesus didn't really multiply the loaves and the fish but just got everybody to share. By looking at the context of Jesus' multiplication of the loaves and the fish in the sixth chapter of John's Gospel, we can determine that Jesus actually did the miracle of multiplication.

In the first half of John's Gospel, the multiplication of the loaves and the fish is the fourth of seven signs. All the signs are clearly miraculous according to the traditional meaning of miracles, that is, a divine intervention in nature. The first three signs are: Jesus' miracle of turning water into wine at Cana (Jn 2:1ff); the instantaneous, long-range healing of a royal official's terminally ill son (Jn 4:46ff); and the immediate healing of a man who had been seriously ill for thirty-eight years (Jn 5:5ff). The last three signs of John's Gospel are: Jesus' walking on water and the apostles' boat going two or three miles in one second (Jn 6:19ff), the healing of the man born blind (Jn 9:1ff), and the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1ff). If the multiplication of the loaves and fish were not miraculous in the traditional sense, it would not fit into John's Gospel, not inspire the people to try and make Jesus their King (Jn 6:15), and not prepare for Jesus' unashamed proclamation of the miracle of His flesh and blood being given to us as our food and drink (Jn 6:55). Believe in miracles. Believe in Jesus, the Miracle-Worker.

 

Prayer: Father, give me a strong conviction in the historicity of the Gospels.

Promise: "There is but one body and one Spirit, just as there is but one hope given all of you by your call. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, Who is over all, and works through all, and is in all." —Eph 4:4-6

Praise: Praise You, Jesus, crucified and risen Love. Alleluia!

[Salvation]

“First and foremost, the right to life of every human person – from conception to natural death – is the primary and thus most essential of all human rights,” the letter stated. “Faith teaches and human reason confirms that human life is not a privilege bestowed on us by others, but rather a right that society must recognize and protect.

"As Christians, we are called to witness to an authentic ‘human ecology’ which safeguards all human life – no matter how frail or impaired – from being manipulated or destroyed.”

Bishops of Wisconsin

 

VOTE FOR LIFE!

 

 

[Salvation]

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