Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: John 6: 41-51

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,
“I am the bread that came down from heaven, ”
and they said,
“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? 
Do we not know his father and mother? 
Then how can he say,
‘I have come down from heaven’?” 
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Stop murmuring among yourselves. 
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day. 
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. 
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father. 
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life. 
I am the bread of life. 
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die. 
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When I was a little kid, I had lots of stuffed animals.

A few of them had Velcro strips on their backs; you could turn them inside out and they became a globe. For example, my panda showed me that he came from China; my penguin from Antarctica.

These stuffed animals sparked my imagination, fueling a hunger inside of me to know more about the world around me. 

So, I devised a plan.

One day I started digging a hole in my backyard. I was determined to dig my way to China, a land of pandas, bamboo, and apparently a very big wall.

I didn’t get too far before Mom discovered me, breaking the bad news: I wasn’t making it to China that day.

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But my curious heart mirrored the crowds who’ve been following Jesus in John’s Gospel for the last three weeks.

It began with the multiplication of the loaves.

Thousands were following him. They listened to his sermons and watched him perform miracles. But then they were hungry. So, Jesus feeds them all by sunset. They were mesmerized by his power.

At this point, the crowds want to know more about him. “Who is this man?” they say.

So, they keep digging.

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Last week, Jesus urged them to see the hunger beneath the hunger. The crowds need more than a full stomach to be satisfied. In the words of Bruce Springsteen, “Everybody’s Got a Hungry Heart.”

Jesus tells them he can satisfy it. “Whoever comes to me will never hunger; whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

This week he tells the crowds how he will satisfy them.

“I am the bread of life, whoever eats this bread will live forever and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

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It’s not the answer the crowds were expecting. Consuming Christ sounded strange, as it does to some today. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

Skeptical and confused, they stop digging for the truth. Literally, they “grumbled” against Jesus, disagreeing with what he said.

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How often do we “grumble” against the Lord, even in little ways?

I do it almost every Monday morning! I look at the readings for the following Sunday and say, “Lord, how is this sermon going to come together? What am I going to say?”

Or we grumble when the Lord presses our conscience. He urges us to simplify; to let go of all anger and judgment; or to be more generous with our time.

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Sometimes we also grumble when we think about the Eucharist.

As Catholics, we believe the Eucharist is the Promised Presence of Christ. It distinguishes our faith; it’s our “food for the journey,” as we hear in our first reading.

Still, some turn away in disbelief like the crowds in today’s Gospel. “How can this be?”

It’s the same reaction the Israelites had to God when Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt into the desert. God gave them manna – their daily bread – but they “grumbled” against him.

“If only we could’ve died in Egypt!” they say. They wanted something other than manna.

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What is my own reaction to Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel? Do I see him in the Eucharist with eyes of faith? Or do I look on in disbelief like the crowds in the Gospel?

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What happened in the Gospel over the last three weeks, and what happened to Israel in the desert, is much like what happened to me as a child.

I was so curious about the world around me, I literally tried digging a hole to China. 

The crowds following Jesus do something similar; they follow him, looking for answers. 

“Who is this man? How can he satisfy hungry hearts?”

When Jesus tells them, “I am the bread of life, whoever believes in me will never hunger… and whoever eats my flesh will live forever,” they turn away in disbelief.

May the opposite be true for us. 

May we approach this altar with loving hearts and eyes of faith, ready to receive the Lord who is, “the bread of life,” our food for the journey, our way to eternal life.

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Image credits: (1) Little Boy Digging by Bryan Rupp (2) I am the Bread of Life, the Rock Church (3) Catholic Daily Reflections (4) Pinterest

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Gospel: Mark 9: 2-10

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them, 
and his clothes became dazzling white, 
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, 
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, 
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents: 
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 
from the cloud came a voice, 
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves, 
questioning what rising from the dead meant.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Do you have an iPhone?

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If so, suppose I took it and threw it into a lake.

Although you’d be inconvenienced by my antics, you’d have no reason to be angry with me, because you could either go online or straight to an Apple store and by another phone on me.

For your troubles, let’s say I give you an upgrade.

Now all you have to do is upload your photos, contacts, and apps from the iCloud onto your new phone. Everything was conveniently stored there for you.

Not a bad deal, right? 

I take your old phone and, in exchange, give you a new, upgraded one with all of your information intact.

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This Apple “model” was originally a Christian idea.

When we go to heaven, we exchange our earthly bodies for a heavenly one, and all of our good memories remain intact, because God is the original iCloud.

What proof is there, you say?

Just look at today’s Gospel.

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First, Jesus is transfigured before his disciples; he’s glowing like a light bulb. Then, Peter sees Moses and Elijah standing on his left and right, speaking with Jesus. Keep in mind, these were men who lived and died hundreds of years before!

Yet somehow Peter is able to recognize them. Each is a distinct person with his own name, face, and body. Peter recognizes them based upon the good they did in this life; they were prophets.

What has happened to Moses and Elijah?

Much like your iPhone that I tossed into a lake, they’ve exchanged their earthly bodies for heavenly ones, then God – the original iCloud – uploaded all of their memories onto their heavenly bodies.

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This is one of the many incentives for us to live Christian lives.

We believe that all of the good that we do in this life goes with us in the end. As it’s written in the Book of Revelation, the final book in the bible, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. Their good works go with them.”

Make some good memories today. 

After all, we’ll have them forever.

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Image credits: (1) Apple iCloud (2) Transfiguration, Raphael (3) Christianity Today

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Gospel: Matthew 14: 22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This is the first time that the disciples are without Jesus. And what happens?

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Disaster strikes!

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While they’re on a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee, a major storm approaches – one so large it causes these professional fishermen to fear they’re drowning!

Meanwhile, Jesus tries passing them by, walking calmly across the waves. What terrifies the disciples doesn’t disturb him at all.

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Was this a test?

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Perhaps.

Keep in mind, the disciples just watched Jesus feed five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. 

If he can perform a miracle like that, then why would they fear for their safety? Shouldn’t they trust him?

We’d casually say, “Of course.”

And yet, “their hearts were hardened.” 

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Like the disciples staggering on a boat, there are times when life causes us to lose our balance, making us feel like we’re drowning.

We get overwhelmed by waves of debt; grief; doubt; COVID fatigue; and so on.

But if the Lord has cared for us throughout our lives, then why would he abandon us now? Even when we must make that final crossing into eternal life, the Lord stands on the waters, saying, “Come.”

We will not sink.

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So, what’s the Gospel saying to us today?

Wherever we are on our journeys of faith – and whatever our life circumstances may be – we will not drown. 

Jesus is with us, standing on the waves at the very edge of our comfort zone, saying, “Follow me.”

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Image credits: (1) St. Catherine of Siena, Orange Park, FL (2) San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish, Quezon City (3) Denison Forum