Aug 9th, 15 Sunday
Homily- Fr.Francis Chirackal CMI
Ex.16:2-4, 12-15; Eph 4:17, 20-24; Jn 6:41-51
For Reading
We
are born of mothers, and are nurtured with their breast-feeding. That means,
our mothers became a part of very life including our food. Mother loves her
child and breast-feeds it for its sustenance and growth. She becomes even the
part of child’s physical food. Mothers feed their children because of their physical
and emotional relationship, love and affection towards their children. The
depth of that love and relationship causes an internal urge in them to
sacrifice everything for their children. Comparing to that mother’s love,
affection and relationship God said, “Can
a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget, I will never forget you” (Isaiah 49:15-16). This God
sacrificed His only son for the salvation of each and every one of us. That
divine Son gave His body and blood as our spiritual food and still gives to
keep us ever-living.
In today’s Gospel Jesus makes the unique and bold claim that
no one in the history of the human race would dare to make. He said, “I am the living
bread which comes down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live
for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." Jesus was offering the bread from heaven, the
bread available to all people, who have faith in Jesus Christ.
After giving the earthly bread, Jesus offered them the
heavenly bread. Jesus calls this the “True Bread”. When people heard this, they
replied saying, Give us this bread to eat”. They still thought that it was something
material, and they yet expected to satisfy their appetites and so they quickly
ran to him. But Jesus was leading them a little by little to divine truth. When
He offered the heavenly bread, many left His company. But those who were
receptive to that life giving bread, sought and found eternal life in Him as
Peter says, “You have the words of eternal life.” In one of the books I read, the author says,
“the faith should not be born as a consequence of miracles, but miracles must
happen in our life as a result of our deep faith in God”. Though the Spirit of
God is a gift, it needs to be accepted with free will and desire. Many of the
people who approached Jesus were not in a disposition to receive the ‘Bread of
Life’, as they were not in a condition to feel the hunger for heavenly bread,
or the bread was not the kind they expected. Today we need to see the
unfathomable sacrificial love hidden in the Eucharist.
As we know, some of the sick people may not feel hungry,
though their body lack energy. Continuous absence of hunger is not a sign of
health. It may need medication to make them feel hungry and regain their health.
Same way we need healing from our divine physician, if we do not feel the
hunger for Eucharist. Jesus, the great physician is inviting and waiting for us
to heal and to energize us. Once we become healed, our soul will feel the
craving for His Body and Blood. Once, after
one of my former parishioner returned from a cruise to Holy Land, her only
complaint regarding the trip was that, there was no Catholic chaplain or Holy
Mass in the ship. She continuously felt the hunger for the Bread of life during
those cruising days. She is a daily recipient of the holy Communion and also her
life reflects it.
In 2013, on the feast of Corpus Christi, our Holy Father
Pope Francis said, “This evening we are the crowd of [which] the Gospel
[tells]: let us also strive to follow Jesus to listen to him, to enter into
communion with Him in the Eucharist, to accompany Him and in order that He
accompany us. Let us ask ourselves: how do I follow Jesus? Jesus speaks in
silence in the Mystery of the Eucharist and every time reminds us that, to
follow Him means to come out of ourselves and make of our own lives, not a
possession, but a gift to Him and to others”.
The Eucharist is a Sacrament of Love that unites us with
Christ who lived, died and rose again to bring us salvation. It strengthens and
makes our relationship with our fellow Christians holy, and nourishes us with
the transforming power of grace and prepares us for the future glory of God's
heavenly banquet. Let us receive the Eucharist with proper preparation and
disposition, to find its transforming and strengthening effects, and ensure our
eternal life. God bless you
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