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Most, if not all of us, have been to Dunkin’ Donuts – after all, there’s one right across the street.

You know the smell. The air is almost damp, soaked in the smell of fresh coffee brewing, bagels toasting, and a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich warming in the microwave.

And then there are the donuts.

On a stressful day, I’m sure many of us have been tempted to walk in, order a dozen Boston Crèmes, just sit in the corner and scarf them down as if no one is looking!

The good news is they taste delicious. The bad news? Stepping on the scale the next morning, only to see we’ve gained at least three pounds.

The truth is, those donuts don’t simply disappear; something of them remains in us. The scale tells us so!

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Think of the Eucharist like a “Divine Donut.” Every time we receive it, something of Jesus remains in us.

The only difference is, we don’t gain weight; we gain eternal life.

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In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us plainly, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven…whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:51, 54).

Again, just as that Boston Crème donut remains in us long after we eat it, so Jesus remains in us forever. We cannot be separated from him.

And herein lies the promise of our own resurrection. Jesus was raised from the dead; therefore, everyone who eats his flesh in the Eucharist shall rise again, too.

Now that’s good news if I’ve ever heard it!

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But the other side of the coin is this – just as Jesus nourishes us, so we must nourish one another. As Saint Paul says, “Be imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1).

But how, concretely, do we do that? How can we nourish one another?

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Let’s consider our first reading. 

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Elijah is down in the dumps.

He fears for his life, so much so that he runs into the desert alone and cries out to God, “This is enough, O LORD, take my life!” (1 Kings 19:4).

That’s not the best thing to ask God for – to take your life– but at least Elijah prays in his distress!

And look at how God answers him. God sends him an angel to feed him and to comfort him. Strengthened by this angel’s presence, Elijah is able to get up and continue on his journey.

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In the same way, God sends us to comfort those in need.

How many of us know someone who feels like Elijah, like the walls are closing in? Perhaps it’s someone who’s being bullied at school or at work, someone who’s enduring a painful divorce, financial stress, poor health, or an addiction.

Or maybe it’s someone who’s struggling with low self-esteem and just needs a friend.

Will we be that affirming voice, that listening ear, that needed hug to help them continue on their journeys?

Will we nourish them as Jesus nourishes us?

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Remember those Boston Crème donuts – every time we eat one, something of that donut remains in us. The scale tells us so.

In the same way, every time we receive the Eucharist, something of Jesus remains in us. We cannot be separated from him.

But just as Jesus nourishes us in the Eucharist and strengthens us on our journeys, so he asks us to nourish one another with love and concern.

Who, then, might we care for this week?

 

How many of us have heard Bruce Springsteen’s famous song, “Everybody’s got a hungry heart?”

Millions can sing along, because we know it’s true. Everybody’s got a hungry heart.

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But not everybody knows how to satisfy it.

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This is why the crowds are following Jesus in today’s Gospel – like all of us, they’re hungry. And they’re wondering if he can satisfy them.

Fully aware of their desires, he says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35).

Jesus promises the crowds – and all of us gathered here this morning – that if we listen to his teachings and follow his example, then we will be satisfied.

But why is that? How can Jesus satisfy us?

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Because he is love – and that’s what we all hunger for in the end, love.

As Saint Paul says, “If I do not have love…I am nothing…. I am a resounding gong or a clashing symbol” (1 Corinthians 13: 1-2).

Without love we will be forever hungry.

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This is the point that Paul’s making in our second reading.

He’s writing to a group of newly converted Christians, urging them to remember the teachings of Jesus – to remember how to love – instead of retreating to their former ways of life, when they indulged in selfish and sinful behavior.

That will not satisfy them – or us – in the end.

“Put away the old self of your former way of life,” Paul says. “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new self” (Ephesians 4: 22-24).

In a word, put on love.

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The Native Americans have an interesting way of describing this tension between our “old self” and our “new self.”

They say there’s a battle happening inside all of us between two wolves. One wolf is evil. It feeds on the “old self,” on sinful desires such as lust, greed, anger, jealousy, pride, and selfishness.

The other wolf is good. It feeds on the “new self”, on healthy desires such as forgiveness, honesty, generosity, patience, and kindness.

We cannot feed both wolves; only one will win. The question is, “Which one is it?”

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The one we feed.

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Which wolf am I feeding?

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Ultimately, that’s a question we answer in our daily lives; every decision we make feeds one of those two wolves.

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Everybody’s got a hungry heart.

And Jesus tells us how to satisfy it. We must feed that good wolf within us by loving our neighbor and our God without counting the cost. It’s the only way we will ever be satisfied.

Still the choice is ours.

Which wolf will you feed?

 

 

The Poisonwood Bible.

It’s a strange title, isn’t it? The Poisonwood Bible.

It’s a story about a family from my home state of Georgia. The father, Nathan, is a Baptist minister whose community has decided he will serve as a missionary in central Africa.

And like the disciples in today’s Gospel, his church believes in the importance of not ministering alone; so Nathan is being sent with his entire family.

Before they go, their friends warn them that there’s a weight limit at the airport; each person can only bring forty-four pounds of luggage.

So the four daughters, ages 5 to 16, rush to their rooms and start putting on as much of their clothes as possible – several pairs of socks, six dresses each, cake mix buckled around their waists, all covered by thick outer coats.

Even so, when they arrive at the airport, the family is a total of sixty-one pounds over weight! Slightly embarrassed, they begin digging through their suitcases, deciding what items are essential versus what can be left behind.

This gesture of removing items from their suitcase points to something deeper… something they – and maybe we –all  need to do.

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In the Gospel, Jesus sends the Apostles out on their first missionary journey. And they are instructed to take nothing with them – no food, no cash, no suitcase. Not even a change of clothes.

All they have is the Word of God.

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Why does Jesus insist on such extreme poverty?

First and foremost, it lends credibility to their message. The Apostles are driving out demons and curing the sick. And they’re doing it all for free, proving they’re not looking to get rich; they’re looking to save souls.

They don’t want people’s money; they want them to believe.

Secondly, Jesus wants the Apostles themselves to grow in trust. Not knowing where their next meal will come from or who will shelter them that night tests their faith; it challenges them to believe that God will provide for their every need.

And he does – day after day – through the hands of strangers or newly converted Christians. Thus the Apostles see our faith at work; when they’re in need, someone’s there to help.

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“Jesus instructed them to take nothing for the journey.”

Though we’re not missionaries like the Apostles – or even the Price family in The Poisonwood Bible– the Gospel still challenges us to consider what things we need to leave behind.

On the surface, we may have some extra clothes or food that we can donate. And while that’s certainly important, let’s dig a little deeper.

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What weighs me down?

Am I carrying a grudge that I’ve nursed for too long? Am I refusing to forgive those who’ve hurt me?

Am I carrying the weight of a sin that never seems to go away? Do I struggle to trust God or worry about my future?

What do I need to get rid of?

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“Jesus instructed them to take nothing for the journey.”

No food, no cash, no suitcase. Not even a change of clothes. All they had was the Word of God – and the belief that their every need would be provided for.

In a similar way, there may be things we need to let go of – thoughts, feelings, or sins that weigh us down.

Jesus challenges us to let them go today. We will only be happier if we do.

As he himself says, “Come to me all you who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28).