Rhetoric or Challenge

~~~ Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ ~~~

~~~ Genesis 14:18-20 ~~~ Psalm 10 ~~~ 

~~~1 Corinthian 11:23-26 ~~~ Luke 9:11B-17 ~~~

Jesus had been preaching and teaching all day.

There were at least 5000 men in the crowd.

The people were getting hungry.

The twelve apostles want Jesus to call it a day...

to send the crowd on their way.

They were hungry and tired themselves.

Jesus surprises them...

He said to them, "Give them

 some food yourselves.

They presented him with a problem 

and he flips it into a challenge for them.

Clearly the apostles were not prepared

 for the challenge to feed the huge crowd.

It seemed to them a ridiculous task 

to feed so many with so little.

 "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,

unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."

The available food was meager

 and they did not have the funds to feed so many.

They were not up to the challenge.

Was Jesus serious about them 

buying enough food to feed the crowd?

Was Jesus toying with the apostles?

Was he taking advantage of a situation 

to reveal his power to them.

Or was Jesus making a profound 

statement by feeding 

the crowd through his

 divine partnership with the Father?

The crowd was fed out 

of the great abundance of God.

When we are faced with seemingly

 impossible challenges

we but need to rely on the great

 love God has for you.

Jesus feeds us with his 

own flesh and blood.

The mystery of the Eucharist 

is much greater than the feeding of the crowd...

much greater than the changing of the water into wine.

Our body cannot live without food.

Our soul cannot live without the Eucharist.

Jesus was neither speaking in empty rhetoric

nor was he teasing the apostles.

He knew they did not have the power 

within themselves to multiply the loaves and the fishes.

We are so blessed to have this miracle

of the Eucharist offered for us at every Mass.

Receive the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus 

with the utmost care, respect, love, and reverence.

Blessed by the Eucharist.

~~~Peace~~~

Infinite Supply

~~~ Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~
~~~ 2 Kings 4:42-44 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Ephesians 4:1-6 ~~~
~~~ John 6:1-15 ~~~

In those days if you were a true prophet
you were able to work miracles.
This is one way God drew attention to the message
 he was sending out for the people.

If a messenger has no audience
then who will hear the message?

In the Old Testament there were prophets
who did perform miracles...
Elisha is one such person.

The people were hungry, one person had twenty loaves of bread.
This was hardly enough to feed the hungry crowd.
But Elisha had faith in God.

“Give it to the people to eat.” 
“For thus says the LORD,
‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’” 

Just as in the Gospel of the loaves and the fishes;
there was plenty of food left over.
Everyone was feed out of the abundance of God.

Jesus takes care of our physical needs
 as he ministers to our spiritual needs.

Each time Jesus heals or feeds it allows that person
 to live their life in a better more fulfilling manner.

Ideally with their improved life they
 will want to give God the proper credit.

Jesus does not put stipulations on those he feeds.

When your physical hunger is satisfied
your mind is ready to learn...
it is possible to think more clearly...
to better process what the ears are hearing.

Jesus, in feeding the crowds this day, was reinforcing
 his rightful place among the known prophets.

Jesus is different because he is the Bread of Life.
He gives up his own body and blood to be our eternal food.

Just as our bodies need food for a journey so does our soul.
The food which is given to us from Jesus is the
main source of soul nourishment.

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Take a seat on the grassy hill...
Jesus is sending his blessed basket of food to you.
Do not worry there will still be plenty left in the basket.

Now you are ready to learn more.

~~~Peace~~~

When Free Means Free

~~~Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time~~~

~~~ Isaiah 55:1-3 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Romans 8:35, 37-39 ~~~ 

~~~Matthew 14:13-21 ~~~

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,

he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. 

Jesus had known John the Baptist his whole life...

they were cousins...they were friends.

Jesus withdrew in a boat where he could grieve in privacy.

In his grief Jesus experienced tremendous compassion.

People came to the beach front. They came to the water.

They wanted to hear his inspired words.

His deserted place turned out to be the place 

of the great miracle of the loaves and the fish.

He fed more than five thousand that day. 

They freely come. They pay no money. No one is turned away.

All are welcome...all are fed.

They have no lengthy paperwork to fill out before eating.

They do not have to prove they are deserving of the bread and fish.

Jesus invites us all to come; all who are thirsty,

all who are hungry.

...listen, that you may have life.

I will renew with you the everlasting covenant...

Jesus keeps on giving. 

The stream of cool water never runs dry.

The basket of bread never appears empty.

There is always plenty of leftovers.

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs...

Nothing can keep us from the love of God.

He is rich in goodness and kindness.

We are all invited to come...to freely partake
of the goodness of the Lord.

Have you ever rejected something offered to you for 'free'?
I have, because it was something I did not need or I did not want.

This is close to what happens when someone passes up
the invitation from Jesus to Come to him. 

If you were thirsty would turn down
 a cup of water offered to you?

Those who reject Jesus' offer may not be rejecting him
they may not be able to identify
that they are even thirsty.

God Blesses us with his miracles;
they are free of charge.
The deserted place turned into a place of plenty...
a place where love is nourished...
a place where grace and compassion flow freely.
~~~Peace~~~