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XIX Sunday in
Ordinary Time (B) - Sunday- 11 August 2024
"I am the
bread that came down out of heaven"
Rev. Dr.
Patrick Mathias SDB
Readings: 1Kgs
19:4-8 Ps 34 Eph 4: 30-5:2 Jn 6:41-51
Key Verse: I am the
living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live
forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my
flesh" (Jn 6:51).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the
Lord,
The Liturgy of the Word of God for this
Nineteenth Sunday once again presents Christ Jesus as the Bread that came down
from heaven. In last Sunday's liturgy, Christ
was teaching the crowds to understand the difference between the bread given in
the desert, which perishes, and the "bread" truly sent from heaven by
God for the salvation of humanity, the bread that lasts forever. Jesus realized
that the crowds had not yet grasped the distinction between the food that
endures forever and the manna that perishes. Where manna ended, life ended. But
where the bread of life is present, eternal life begins. The focal point of
this Sunday's liturgy is that Jesus is the bread of life that has come down
from heaven. Just as in the first reading, when we eat physical food, we regain
life and strength; so too, when we partake of the bread of life that Jesus gives,
we live in Christ and experience eternal life, life in its fullness (Jn 10:10).
First Reading - The Lone Warrior: In the first
reading, taken from the first book of Kings, we see the dramatic situation of
the prophet Elijah running for his life into the desert, taking refuge from the
evil queen Jezebel. Elijah proved to the unbelieving crowd that the Lord God
alone was their true God and that they should not follow Baal, the false god,
and the false prophets who were protected and supported by Queen Jezebel. He
did not offer sacrifices to the idol Baal and challenged the false prophets of
Baal on Mount Carmel, killing all four hundred and fifty of them. Hearing of
this gruesome act, Queen Jezebel was angry and determined to kill him. To
escape her, Elijah fled into the wilderness of Judah and wanted to die. He was
a lone warrior and a wanted man by Queen Jezebel. Tired and lonely, he asked
the Lord to take his life and lay under a juniper tree and fell asleep. But God
does not forget His servant and comes to their rescue (Ps 35, Is 57:1-2, Lk
18:7). The angel of the Lord brought him food and water, and he ate and slept.
When he arose and ate and drank the second time, he regained his strength and
went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights and reached Horeb,
the mountain of God (1 Kgs 19:8).
Life is difficult and full of twists and turns. Many times, like
the prophet Elijah, in moments of immense pain and suffering, we too have
preferred to die rather than face the test. However, as Christians, in those
painful moments, we should learn to abandon ourselves to the divine providence
and guidance of the Lord, so that we can draw strength and energy from Him to
continue the journey of life we have begun. After overcoming our initial fears,
we can feel the strength and peace of Christ residing in our hearts (Phil 4:7).
Second Reading: In today's second reading, St. Paul reminds the Christian community at Ephesus that they don't need anyone to teach them the doctrine of loving one another, as Christ Himself has already taught them to love one another (cf. 1 Thess 4:9). This is what St. Paul teaches in today’s second
reading regarding love. We, as Christians, are to walk in love because Christ
has loved us. He loved us to the extent of sacrificing himself on the cross, a
supreme act of love. This total offering of himself on our behalf is the most
acceptable offering to God, as a fragrant aroma (Eph 5:2). By loving each other
sincerely, we can become imitators of God, as beloved children (Eph 5:1).
Gospel Reading: In today's
Gospel passage, Jesus' teaching continues with the second part of the discourse
on the bread of life. We see open hostility from the Jews who were listening to
Christ. John says they were murmuring (see Jn 7:32; Mt 20:11; Lk 5:30). To the
claim of Jesus, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven" (Jn
6:41), the Jews started murmuring about His identity. They were happy until He
fed them with bread. But Jesus, standing amidst the people, is the New Moses,
who alone can give them the living bread. Only God can feed His people with
living bread. The Jews were right in their thinking but failed to see that the
living God who could give lasting food for eternal life is this son of a known
carpenter: "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother
we know?" (Jn 6:42). Perhaps there were people in the crowd from Nazareth
or the suburbs of Galilee who knew the history of the family of Jesus Christ.
In the Synoptic Gospels, in the episode of the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth,
we notice a similar criticism levelled against Jesus: "Is not this the
carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and
Joseph and Simon and Judas?" (cf. Mk 6:3; Mt 13:55; Lk 4:22).
Divine Origin Questioned: Jesus’ heavenly
origin is not limited to the humble hamlet of Nazareth; it is of heavenly
origin. Jesus clearly tells his listeners that they must be “taught by God”
before they can accept His heavenly origin. Relying on the prophets, Jesus
reminds them that they are in fact in the Messianic era where “they will all be
taught by God” (cf. Is 54:13; Jer 31:33-34). At this point, Jesus makes a
scriptural reference from the prophet Isaiah: "And all your children shall be taught by the LORD" (Is 54:13). It is definitely difficult to understand.
It is a gift given to anyone who believes in Christ, recognizing that He has
proceeded from the Father and came down to earth. That’s why when Simon Peter
made his public confession, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God" (Mt 16:16), Jesus gave the credit to the Father and not to Simon,
saying, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not
reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Mt 16:17).
Drawn by God: Coming to
Christ is always initiated by God. So, Jesus unhesitatingly revealed the truth
that "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him"
(Jn 6:44). Jesus, not using the exclusive term ‘my Father’ (Jn 2:16), here
makes a general term referring to God the 'Father.' The Father’s initiation of
drawing people in faith towards His Son will be made complete when He is
crucified on the cross, drawing all people to Himself: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to Myself" (Jn 12:32). This
loving act of God in Christ is reflected in the promise to the prophet
Jeremiah: "I have drawn you with lovingkindness" (Jer 31:3).
To Hear and Learn from God: Coming to
Christ in faith is initiated by listening to Him. This is substantiated by the
teaching of Paul, where he says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing
by the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17). It is important to hear God’s voice,
which results in obedience: "And a voice came out of the cloud, saying,
'This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!'" (Lk 9:35). But it is not
sufficient for a man to have heard God’s voice; he must also learn. In fact,
Christ gives an open invitation to learn from Him: "Take My yoke upon you,
and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest
for your souls" (Mt 11:29). These people have heard Christ preaching the
word of God and alleviating their hunger. But they need to learn from Him,
their God. Hearing God’s voice may be possible, but it is not equal to seeing
God, as no one can see the Father. However, Christ promises us that He is the
only one who has seen the Father: "Not that any man has seen the Father,
except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father" (Jn 6:46). This is
the truth which John the Baptist proclaimed to his disciples who listened to
him: "No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known" (Jn 1:18). Jesus indirectly
taught the apostles that they have seen the Father. Bewildered, Philip asked
Him to show the Father. Jesus simply told him that he who has “seen” Me has
“seen the Father” (Jn 14:9).
I Am the Bread of Life: As in last
Sunday’s reading, in today’s gospel reading too, Jesus declares, "I am the
bread of life" (Jn 6:41). The theme of Jesus being the bread of life is
repeated throughout this sixth chapter (cf. Jn 6:35, 41, 48, 51). Jesus’ origin
is from God because He is the bread that was sent down by the Father: "I
am the bread that came down out of heaven" (Jn 6:41-42, 50-51). Jesus was
reminding the Jews of His relationship with the Father. Since God has sent down
the Son as the bread from heaven, those who believe in Christ (eat of Him in
the Eucharist) will have eternal life, as God in Christ Jesus will raise them
up on the last day (Jn 6:44). Jesus compared the ‘manna,’ the bread that came
down from heaven and gave life to the Israelites in the wilderness, to His own
body, the true flesh for the life of the world. Those who ate manna in the
desert died. Life and death were the issues in the wilderness. But the bread
about which Jesus was speaking was quite different. Jesus is the spiritual
bread that gives life. Jesus also promised them that He is the living bread
that came down from heaven and that if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live
forever; and the bread which He shall give for the life of the world is His
flesh (Jn 6:51). To live forever in God, one must eat of this bread and believe
in Jesus, who was sent by the Father.
Jesus, the Bread of Eternal Life: What does it
mean to live forever? It means that whoever feeds on the Spirit of Christ, on
His words, on His life, will not die because even here and now, during this
life, he participates in the same vital force of God, a vital force that makes
us free! We need to understand and believe that the Bread of Life, which Jesus
offers us in His own Person, is not for the nourishment of the physical body or
to prevent the death of our body. It is the divine food that nourishes man’s
spirit and renews him spiritually from deep within. Those who continually feed
on Christ in the Eucharist receive the strength to combat the temptations of
this life and the inner strength to live a holy life. This participation in the
Eucharist is nothing but continually keeping in spiritual touch with Jesus. It
is this aspect of being in God and living in God through the Eucharist that
saves us from spiritual death and helps us to live forever in the presence of
God. The true bread of life cannot but lead us to life everlasting with God.
Points for Personal Reflection
We need to listen and learn from Christ because He has said,
“Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to me.” This means that following Christ necessarily presupposes a willingness in a person's heart to listen to Him and be guided by Him. Only Jesus can perfectly know the will of the
Father and reveal it to us. Therefore, the eternal life we all desire depends on faith in
Christ, constant trust, and commitment, which will start the life-resurrection
here and now, already on this earth, guaranteeing the resurrection of bodies to
immortal life. While waiting for the resurrection, the faithful feed on His
Body and His Blood in the Holy Eucharist, gradually constituting in themselves
a “reserve” of immortal life. If Elijah or the Jews of the Exodus ate precious
bread, we eat something much more precious: namely, the Body and Blood of Jesus
Christ.
The apostle Paul, in the second reading, speaks again to the Ephesians and exhorts them not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God who is in everyone. For this to happen, it is necessary to abandon all negative things that come from within: instead, be kind to one another, be merciful, forgive each other as God has forgiven each one in Jesus Christ. We need to walk in charity as Christ Jesus did and walk in love as He taught us.
Another aspect that St. John in the Gospel reports is that the Jews
murmured against Jesus because He had said to them, “I am the bread which came
down from Heaven.” They thought that they knew Him well, that He was the son of
Joseph. Therefore, they wondered how He could have come down from Heaven. The
word murmur points to the fact that we are unable to understand and accept
God's plan. But it is not only the Jews who murmured against Jesus; we all do
it when God's plans do not match our human plans.
Dear friends, the Eucharist is not only for the "good,"
but precisely for those who are on the way. In particular, it is for us when we
are in difficulty, in moments of darkness, of loneliness, when we are weak and
tired. The comparison with material food is very true: how many people, after a
long illness, have managed to regain their strength through foods suitable for
a protein diet. Similarly, for our spirit, it is necessary to feed on Christ,
the only one who can put us back on the right path. In today's Gospel, Jesus
repeats many times that He is the living bread which came down from Heaven and
that believing in Him is an indispensable condition of eternal life.
Like Elijah, do we feel the need to trust God more in our moments
of difficulty and pain?
Do I seek the bread that gives me eternal life?
Do I draw strength and power from the Bread of Life for my
Christian living?
What is the faith that leads me to seek Jesus in the Eucharist?
Jesus says, "I am the living bread" – what does it mean
to me?
