Unity in faith and our confidence in God
July 28, 2024, 17th Sunday in ordinary Time. Year B.
2 kings 4:42-44; Psalm 145; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:1-15.
Considering the various opposed ideologies and events going on in our world today, we come to realize how much our families, our churches, our nations and our world is in need to focus on what unites us. As Christians, St. Paul urges us just as he did with the Ephesians around AD 62, to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. What is that calling? It is a life of humility and gentleness, patience, love and peace. St. Paul reminds us of our serious bond that we share with one another as a Nation, or as a family and as children of God. Besides our differences, we share in “one body and one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all of us who is over all and through and in all. (Ephesians 4:5-6). Striving to keep peace within the community and the nation will consist in listening to each other in order to find the truth while journeying together. For this, we must all put our trust in God and accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our personal and community lives. Let us follow this advice from the Book of Proverbs:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5)
Trusting in God’s Care
Both the first reading and the Gospel focus on miracles of abundance. In the first reading, a man came from Baal-shalishah and brought twenty barley loaves to Elisha who used them to feed a hundred people, and there was left over. Jesus in the Gospel, uses only five loaves and two fish from a little boy to feed more than five thousand people. After everyone was satisfied, they collected twelve baskets of leftover fragments. We can learn very important lessons here.
1) With God, everything is possible
(Mt. 19:26).
2) There is always enough with God.
3) God wants us to show our generosity like the man who brought the bread to Elisha and the little boy who gave the bread and the fish, so that God can open his abundance to us.
Our daily efforts, our generosity and our self-giving sacrifices contribute to the change and transformation of the world just as our gift of bread and wine are changed into the Eucharist, the Body and the Blood of Christ!
The feeding of the crowd with bread and fish foreshadows the Eucharist, which is indeed the obvious truth that God is present in our lives and he cares for our spiritual as well as our material needs. So by sharing and trusting in God’s love and care, we too can build a caring, loving and peaceful community! No wonder St. Paul advises:
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).
Come Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be recreated and they shall renew the face of the earth!
Happy Sunday!
Fr. Georges Roger BIDZOGO sac
Living the Gospel this Week:
In the end of today’s Gospel we can read: “So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat” (John 6:14).
The gathering of leftovers symbolizes the fullness of God’s provision. As Bishop Barron suggested in one of his reflections, let us through this week deepen our appreciation of the Eucharist as a gift of Jesus himself to us so that we become the gift of Jesus to the world.
As we continue to give thanks to God for the Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis, may we continue to build a stronger intimacy or relationship with Christ by participating actively in the Mass! The pope’s message to us at the Congress through Cardinal Luis Tagle is:
“Conversion to the Eucharist”
If possible, begin to attend daily Masses. Jesus is truly waiting for you. Remember that the Eucharist unites us as one body!
May we meditate on this quote of St. Alphonsus Liguori:
“Do not think that Jesus Christ is forgetful of you, since he has left you, as the greatest memorial and pledge of his love, himself in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.”
O Sacrament most holy. Oh sacrament divine!
Happy 17th Sunday in cycle year B.