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Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (1Kgs 19: 4-8; Eph 4: 30-5:2; Jn 6: 41-51)

REFLECT: God is the provider of us ….

My dear friends, today we are in the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. We journey in this world as travelers. Some of us travel on for a day, some for months and some others for years and never forever and always. But if we want to live forever then we need to taste the Lord Jesus as bread of life to obtain eternal gladness. In the human phase of life suffering is inevitable. Our lives can be reflected in the nature of the thing that exist or move in the world. When we journey through the sea in the boat to go across the shore, the boat passes through the currents of the water and mighty waves and so do not sail smoothly. When we journey on the roads in the vehicle, there are many speed-breakers we come across and when we walk on the road there is both soft and hard part of it. Similarly, our life is coupled with adversaries and advantages of life. But when we hope in the Lord, he makes our way better and smoother. The pressure of life can be turned into pleasure of life when we walk courageously with the lord. So based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflection;

1.     God nourishes us physically:

We all know that physical exertion and food for physical growth and development is common. We eat food in order to keep ourselves health and strong. We become tired or our body becomes weary, when we work too hard or heavy work. What the body needs is physical nourishment and rest for the body to be free from weariness of life. If we observe in life, we would understand that God gives us food and physical rest in one way or the other. It may be through someone, but God assures of us take care of the physical growth and physical weariness. That’s what we see in the first reading from first book of Kings.

The first reading speaks of the desert of experience of Elijah the prophet. I call it a desert experience because of the loneliness and desolation that Prophet Elijah experienced. He feels isolated, desolated and helpless.  Thus, he wants to end his life. Why was such a drastic decision from Prophet Elijah? What made him to experience such a desolation and deviation of the focus of life? His heart was so heavy, loaded with worries, tensions and turmoil that he says, “Lord it is enough for me, take away my life.”The reason behind such a devastating experience is nothing but the defeat Baal’s prophets with whom Elijah challenged that the God of Israel is Strong and true God.  

The 18th Chapter of First book of Kings becomes the background for today’s reading and reflection. We have heard and known from the history of the Bible that the kingdom of Israel continued to suffer without water. King Ahab insisted the Israelites to follow a false god named Baal. The Lord sends Prophet Elijah to meet Ahab. Elijah invites all the people to the top of a mountain. He invited the king and his priests to a challenge to see whether the Lord or Baal was the true God. Both of their sacrifices a bull on an altar were offered, but not a light of fire to burn. Both Elijah and the priests of Baal would pray to start lighting the fire of the offering placed to see who true God is. We know what happened the priests of Baal prayed the sacrifice was not consumed with the fire but when Elijah prayed the offering was consumed with fire, the drought ended and rain poured. When King Ahab shared with Queen Jezebel that the Lord defeated the priests of Baal. Jezebel was angry and sent men to kill Prophet Elijah.

This is the background of why Elijah was running away and feeling desolated to end his own life. Perhaps, he forgot for fear of his life that the Lord who proved to be a true God was not there in his misery. But we see the great help of God through the angel to give him rest and to give him food to strengthen his journey and begin his work for God. That’s the greatness of God. God not only is satisfied that we proclaim him and make him great rather he takes care of us in our trials, difficulties, struggles and sufferings. When we work for God and make his name known to people, God assures of his help and support always. Today, many of us go through such struggles and strife. We work hard for God’s work; we make known God to others by good works and example; when troubles and storms arise, in fear and doubt, we flee from God and forget to seek help and support from God. Let us remember, God always looks after us and looks for our God, but it is we who ignore God, forget God and fail to realize his presence in our lives. As Pope Francis says, “God always offers people the help and courage they need to face life’s fears and difficulties.” Yes, that’s what God did to Elijah, giving him help and support to face the difficulties of life and continue doing the mission of God with God’s help and support. Today we pray to God, so that we are assured of his presence and support always.

2.     God nourishes us morally:

We know that there are three theological virtues like faith, hope, and charity. There are also four cardinal virtues like temperance, justice, prudence, and fortitude. We also hear about moral virtues. Moral virtues or qualities are usually find expression in good actions good purposes or intentions morally. It speaks of one’s own nature of thinking, feeling, and behaving in an ethical manner. Moral characters or virtues build one’s personality. It is like showing kindness to another, loving others without hatred, giving to the other who cannot or who does not afford to give or does not have. These virtues shape and build persons and personality traits as well. Something similar that which nourishes us morally to build our personal traits for the good of oneself and others is what we read in the second reading of today.

The second reading is taken from the letter of St. Paul’s to Ephesians. Here, St. Paul exhorts the Ephesian community to live by the virtues of compassion and forgiveness and to give up bitterness and anger, by becoming imitators of God as his beloved children and by walking in love as Christ loved and gave himself for us. It is an invitation that only by virtues of forgiveness and compassion; we could bring about healing and change in the society. Otherwise, all over the world, there would be violence, torture, hatred and havoc in the society. St. Paul gives the Ephesian community the example of Christ himself, because there could be no better example than Christ himself. Jesus’ self-effacing love has brought humanity on a new path of eternity, obtaining God’s forgiveness and compassion over us all.

Today, how we can bring about healing and change in the society is what we need to work for. The moral character or virtues help us in this regard. The moral values not only build our personality rather it affects others as well. Moral values inspire and instill a change for the better. The kindness and compassion of Jesus has inspired many to be the Disciples of Christ. Likewise, we need to resemble in the moral virtues to change and affect the life of others, so that Christ’s kindness and compassion be manifested and experienced by all in the world. We very clearly hear in the New Testament that Jesus never took moral standards of life for granted. Jesus always respected human dignity and he always preferred love than hatred, mercy than sacrifice. Such should be our lives too as followers of Christ. Pope Francis very aptly tells us, “A true Christian brings kindness to others. And it is this limitless, selfless loving-kindness towards all other people that glorifies and reflects the nature of God.” Yes, the kindness and compassion of God is what we need to manifest to glorify God and reflect the image of God imprinted in us. May God give us the grace to be kind and compassionate to one another without hatred and violence.

3.     God nourishes us spiritually:

The spiritual nourishment is obtained by us in and through the communion with the Triune God. The communion with God the Father, Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit takes place by prayer and by our association.  It is this communion that makes our bond of relationship strong and solid. That real communion and communication is experienced in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, where God gives himself in and through his Son Jesus as flesh to eat and blood to drink, meaning to say that we become completely immersed or permeate in ourselves fully the presence of God. Therefore, in the Eucharist we experience that Jesus the bread who strengthens and lengthens life. That’s what we hear in the Gospel reading of the day from the Gospel of John too that Jesus is the bread from heaven, who not only shows way to eternal life rather he himself becomes the bread of eternal life and one who believes in him would obtain eternal life.

It is an undeniable fact that Jesus is the bread of life because he fed the five thousand and above all he gave himself in the form the institution of the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, Jesus Christ feeds us with his own body and blood nourishing us fully to be one with God. Today there are many people who have strong devotion to the Eucharist and experience the healing touch of God. It is because of the power and strength the Eucharist has and it gives. It is an invitation to trust fully in the spiritual nourishment that Jesus offers in the Holy Eucharist. That’s what Pope Francis very beautifully tells us. “The beautiful image of Jesus as bread of life sums up his entire being and mission culminating in the Last Supper. He not only gives food to the people, but of Himself totally, his life, flesh, and heart, so that we might have life. God becomes nourishment or food for us as the Bread of Life, something which brings out a sense of amazement, strengthened through our adoration.” So we need to pray that we too have strong devotion to the Eucharist and obtain graces to be in union with God.

We hear in the gospel reading of the day that one who believes in Jesus’ communion with the Father would obtain eternal life. Yes, if Jesus the bread of life who lengthens our lives, then we have no right to put an end to life except God. For, he is the creator and giver of us all. Therefore, only God has the right to take or give it away. It is Jesus who determines our lives according to the way of life that we live and lead and we are destined by his grace and providence. Yes, this is the faith and prayer we need to practice in life that Jesus is the bread of life, who gives eternal life. Therefore, we need to move to the world of P-u-s-h Pray until Something Happens and move away from the world of B-u-s-y Being Under Satan’s Yoke. Such change will come only when we are deeply rooted in the Eucharistic Lord in prayer.

Let us remind ourselves today that the world in which we live gives us temporary happiness and not eternal gladness. And if we want to be part of that eternal gladness then we need believe in Jesus the bread of life. The creator God who created birds of the air and fish of the seas knows how to take care of His beloved one’s whom he created in His own image and likeness. The providence of God plays a vital role in life. God provides us all, provided we believe in him and obtain the nourishment he offers in the Eucharist.   So today we pray that we believe in Jesus the bread of life to draw nourishment and strength for life. Let us remember that if God send us on hard paths he provides us hard shoes. Moreover, nobody manufactures a lock without the key. Similarly no problems are born without solutions. It is never by running away from problems we succeed rather by facing them courageously with the help and belief in God’s providence we always win, because it is God who provides us all, the good things, good times and good people. So let us continue to pray to inculcate in our lives the kenotic and altruistic act of God that we may believe in God the provider of us all.

RESPOND:

Do we believe that God nourishes us physically giving us rest for our wearied bodies and grace to the troubled spirit?

Do we believe that God makes us morally strong through the theological and cardinal virtues that shape our personality traits as followers of Christ?

Do we believe that God nourishes us spiritually by the bread that he offers in and through the Eucharist that we attend every day?

Let us believe that God is the provider of us all and the physical, moral and spiritual nourishment is obtained in, through and with God, making us all his beloved children. Amen.  

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968