Responsorial Psalm: Ps 78:3-4,23-25,54
2nd Reading: Eph 4:17,20-24
Gospel: Jn 6:24-35
This past week a lot of our attention has been placed upon the Olympics. We have spent time drawn to the television to watch sports such as swimming, basketball, gymnastics, soccer, and a countless amount of others as we have cheered our nation on in it's quest to achieve as many gold medals as possible. For these athletes there is a longing to be the best at their sport and thus they put a lot of time and effort into becoming the best at what they do. After a close matchup and coming up short in their quest it is good to hear an athlete admit that someone was actually better that day then they were and thus they were most deserving of the victory. On the other hand it is upsetting to see an athlete who cannot accept defeat and thus places the blame upon their teammates or other elements which might of gotten in the way of getting the victory that they believed that they deserved. We have each been given many blessings within our lives and thus have a lot to be thankful for instead of spending our time complaining about what has gone wrong for us. We instead should unite ourselves to the nourishment that Christ gives.
In our first reading we are shown that the People of Israel had a longing to grow in their relationship with God. These people were sick and tired of being slaves and they had a lot to complain about because they were the chosen people and could not understand why they were being punished in such a manner. Eventually Moses came along and led them away from Egypt and into the desert. One would think that their complaints would end, but after walking around with no end in sight there was definitely a lot for them to complain about. Once those complaints lifted they still were concerned about receiving nourishment and thus still had something to complain about. Eventually these complaints were answered because the Lord showered down bread from Heaven to give these people the nourishment that they were searching for. Through this gift of bread they were having the coming of Christ in the Eucharist foreshadowed.
Each of us join with the chosen people of Israel and even some Olympic athletes as we complain about what is going on in our lives. With all that is going on inside of the world we definitely have a lot that we can complain about. Relationships at home, the workplace, and disagreements with friends might be so stressful that they make us feel that an unending litany of complaints is the only way for us to lift any stress. Despite our complaints we need to take time out of our day to spend time entering into a relationship with God. The people of Israel got so caught up in their own needs that they forgot about the importance of spending time in relationship with God. In our own needs we often follow this same path because we get so caught up in what we desire that we leave God out of the equation. It is through the use of bread that God reminded the people of Israel about the importance of the nourishment that He gives. Christ again reminds us about this importance through the Blessed Sacrament.
As we continue our five week reflection upon the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Saint John we see the importance of the Eucharist in our daily lives. Christ told the faithful that were present in the passage that a difference exists between bread and that which they had received from Heaven. In time bread will go bad, but the Bread that comes from Heaven will never go bad. It is through this Bread that our faith must be nourished, so that it can forever be drawn closer to God. It is through the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive our nourishment here at this Mass. With all of our complaints and struggles present we take time out of the day not to make excuses, but to quiet ourselves so that our souls may be drawn closer to God. It is only when we get caught up in our own needs and desires that we forget that we can turn towards God with all of our needs. Christ is the Bread of Life who we can turn to in order to never hunger or thirst again.
As we desire to draw ourselves closer to this great life giving gift we begin to cast off each of our deceitful desires. In doing thus we are desiring to be renewed in the spirit and to put on our new self which is found through this life giving interaction. We will each continue to struggle and complain in our daily lives, but through the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar we have been invited to join with Christ. It is here that we have been invited to come in order to bring quiet to the busyness of our lives so that we may receive the nourishment that was promised to us by Christ. This nourishment never comes to an end because this nourishment comes to us from Heaven. May each of us take advantage of this nourishment by allowing ourselves to conform our will with that of Christ. In order to conform our wills we must join each of our struggles and joys with Him as we enter deeper into this community of faith through the reception of the Holy Eucharist.
This parish community offers many opportunities for us to draw closer to the Holy Eucharist and thus be nourished by Christ. We are given the opportunity to have perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament where we are able to take time away from our busy days in order to enter into the silence of prayer. Through this silence in a busy world we are able to take our struggles and complaints and join them with the cross of Christ. Through this Mass we are able to come before the Altar of God and be able to receive the Bread that comes to us from Heaven. May we not take this great gift that has been showered upon us lightly. May we instead invest our lives into growing deeper into this wonderful gift each day, so that we may ever grow closer to imitating Christ in all that we do. This invitation to be nourished by Christ has been given to each of us, so that we may draw our hearts and souls closer to receiving the Bread from Heaven and allowing it to bring transformation to our lives.
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