18^th SUNDAY, YEAR B: HOMILY BY FR. JUSTIN ADIELE

THEME: “SEEKING THE SPIRITUAL FOOD AS MUCH AS THE PHYSICAL FOOD”

INTRODUCTION

Physical food/bread is one of the essential needs of man and must be satisfied before other needs. Last week we talked about ‘operation feed the nation’ which could easily arrest other hardships or problems of man. Today Jesus draws our attention to not only the physical food/bread, but also to the spiritual food/bread. Last week, Jesus fed the crowd with physical bread; today he introduces them to the spiritual bread of life, his own body. But their minds were solely set on physical bread. It is very erroneous to set our minds on only one kind of bread; we must labour and seek for both the physical and spiritual bread. And we praise and thank God today who is ready and able to offer/give us both breads.

 

THE FIRST READING (EX. 16: 2 – 4. 12 – 15)

In the first reading, when the Jews were in a desperate situation while crossing the desert; there, they could neither plant nor reap, so God provided manna and quail (physical food) for them to sustain them through their journey. So we should also have it at the back of our minds that God will not always do or provide for us what ordinarily we can do or provide for ourselves. So do not fold your hands today, and expect manner to fall from heaven.

However, the Israelites didn’t even ask nor pray for manna; they only murmured and wished that they would have preferred to die at the flesh pots of Egypt. However, while they were still murmuring, God demonstrated that He knows what best to do for his people by sending them manna from above.

Quite unfortunately, the minds of the Jews were so set on physical bread and meat that they forgot the saving wonders of the Lord in their lives; they forgot to even pray to God, and mocked and neglected Him. Today, many of us also make the same mistake of forgetting God while chasing after physical food or things.

 

THE SECOND READING (EPH. 4: 17. 20 – 24)

In the second reading, St. Paul talks about putting on the new man after the likeness of Christ; going after all things in true righteousness and holiness and not in corruption and lustful deceit. If you are chasing or seeking after physical food, water, money or position; if you are seeking after spiritual goals, positions or the Eucharist, you must seek them in righteousness and not in deceit and corrupt minds.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (JN. 6: 24 – 35)

In the gospel reading, Jesus addressed the crowd who were seeking for physical bread; he advised them to also seek for the spiritual bread as well, which endures to eternal life. This spiritual food or bread he was to institute in the form of the Holy Eucharist. He offered it free for us all, but we must receive it in righteousness and holiness. We (the five thousand men) accepted the physical bread from Jesus; we must also accept the spiritual bread (the Eucharist) He is also offering to us.

 

CONCLUSION

Brethren, both physical and spiritual food/bread are essential for us because we are all made of Body and Spirit (or soul); none should be neglected and none should be sought for in deceit or in sin. Jesus is ever ready to give or share his physical and spiritual bread with us. We should also learn to share and not hoard our physical or spiritual bread/goods with others; and we should never get lazy in seeking for our daily bread and spiritual bread.

 

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Justin.

 18^th Sunday, Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Jesus: true satisfier of our hunger

Readings: Ex 16:2-4,12-15; Eph 4:17,20-24; Jn 6:24-35

On this eighteenth Sunday of ordinary time, we rejoice because of the daily nourishment that God gives us through Christ, who is the Bread of Life. Today’s readings challenge us to be more concerned with spiritual food than with material food, and to get our spiritual food regularly from the word of God and from the Holy Eucharist – the Heavenly Bread — because only God can satisfy the various manifestations of our hunger.

The first reading shows us how God satisfied the hunger of His chosen people in the desert by giving them manna and quail to eat. This was after the Israelites rebelled against God, forgetting the good deeds of God for them in the land of Egypt and in the red sea. From their complaints, they preferred being slaves in the land of Egypt to the freedom they received from God just because they were hungry.

This reading has many lessons for us. It tells us that we have a God who listens to our voices when we call upon him in our difficult times. He hears us and comes to our rescue even when our shouts of pain deny all the marvellous deeds He did for us in the past. The reading also tells us that we have a God who will not abandon us to the forces that threaten our existence. Hunger threatened the existence of the people of Israel in the desert, but God came to their rescue. Dear friends, what are the things threatening your life and wellbeing today? Is it hunger, sickness, loneliness, lack of job, bad friends and bad relationships, bad habits or sins? Hand them over to God; he will rescue you.

Through this first reading, the Church also enjoins us not to act like the Israelites who forgot the greatness of God in their lives and in their history just because of lack of material things. As we saw in this reading, just because of hunger, the same Israelites who rejoiced and praised God for liberating them from the hand of Pharoah and from death in Egypt were seen blaming Moses for bringing them out of Egypt. Because of hunger, they forgot all the mighty works that God did for them to free them from slavery. Dear friends, many of us are like that, whenever they feel pains and disappointments in their lives, they renounce their faith in God, they start blaming God and even go to the extent of bowing to the devil. Whenever things don’t work as they planned, they forget all the blessings they have received from God in their lives and prefer the company of the devil.

For this reason, the second reading calls us to stop living our lives like pagans, those who are controlled by their hunger for material things. St Paul calls us not to live like those who do not know the greatness of God. He tells us not to allow material gains to govern our relationship with God, rather, we should be rooted in God in such a way that we become more interested in the spiritual things than in the mundane things.

In the gospel of today, we saw the same line of teaching playing out, namely: a call to go beyond the satisfaction of the material hunger in order to satisfy the spiritual hunger. Jesus had finished feeding the crowd, as we read in the gospel of last Sunday. In today’s gospel, the same crowd went in search of him, not to listen to the word of God nor to find God in Christ, but only to be fed with bread again.

The response of Jesus to them contains lessons of great importance to us. In the first place, he said to them, “Work not for the food that does not last, but for the food that remains for eternal life and that the Son of man will give you.” Dear friends, what are all our works and efforts in this world for? What do you seek for in your works? Is it only for material satisfaction? Do you only work for material gains? Today, Jesus challenges you to devote some of your time to spiritual growth and spiritual benefits. He urges us not to be material-bound in our works and desires. Thus, as we work for our material gains, let us create time for the spiritual relationship with God.

Secondly, he said to them: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will not be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty!” Dear friends, Jesus wants us to look beyond the daily provision of life and wellbeing, and then enter into a relationship with the God who supplies these things. Such a relationship will save us from future hunger and threats to our lives. All the blessings God has given us are invitations to know this God who is the source of blessings. But then, many people, like the crowd in the gospel of today, stop at the reception of these blessings without raising their eyes to know the author of the goodness of life. Friends, just as Jesus invited the crowd to look beyond the bread that satisfies the physical hunger in order to discover the true bread – Christ himself – who satisfies their true hunger, the Church invites us to understand that our gifts, talents, blessings, and healings are invitations from God to us, so that we can know Him, the one and only true God, the author of our wellbeing.   

Happy Sunday.

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 18^TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: THE TRUE BREAD

(John 6:24-35)

Jesus Christ differentiates between true and false bread today, good and bad food, holy and unholy communion, earthly and heavenly nourishment, physical and spiritual meal, human and divine feasting. Let us listen to Him as He opens our mind to the sweetness and peace that comes from being fed by Him and escape from the bitterness and death that is the lot of those who feed elsewhere on the false bread.

 

VALUE THE BREAD OF LIFE

Jesus invites us to value the heavenly food he gives. The people who came to Him in the Gospel placed value on the type of food they expected. They expected material food, though they claimed to come to Christ for what He offers. Jesus knew their real intention of coming and made them know that they were making a mistake. They came to Him for false bread while He wanted them to receive the real bread. The true bread He gives is life, but they came for the perishable. The bread He gives sustains to eternity, but they cared about the here and now. The bread He gives is not just for the body, but His body, blood, soul, and divinity, raising us to everlasting life in Him, giving life to our perishable bodies.

This call to focus on the spiritual reality of the food of Angels Christ our pelican gives is a very important one in a world where the only thing that matters is materialism, possession, money and what money can buy. Jesus reminds us that these things may satisfy us for a while, but not forever. He reminds us that we can have our fill now and hunger forever.

 

BEWARE OF THE ATTRACTION OF THE FALSE BREAD

The false bread represents the worldly seductions. They are the various forces, influences, and desires that make us revere and honour the created things instead of the Creator. The people in the Gospel of today suffered such deception when they said that it was Moses that gave them bread from heaven. Jesus corrected the notion by maintaining that it was His Father who gives the true bread.

God in Christ gives us that bread from heaven for the life of the world.

Let us, therefore, be spiritually aware that there are seductive lures aimed at reducing our spiritual appetite for the word of God and for the word made flesh.

Let us reject whatever offer the world gives us in place of Christ. Let us ask the Lord today to give us this bread always as the people asked. Let us open our hearts to be nourished by God from above for our spiritual wellbeing. Let our spiritual eyes be opened to see Christ who assures us:" I am the bread of life."

 

Let us, therefore, stop feeding on the demonic bread, on the carnal bread, etc. Let us say no to whatever hinders us from participating in the Eucharistic feast in the right spirit and proper disposition. May God's word take flesh in our hearts.

 

LET US PRAY

Dear Lord, the many breads of this world confuse us some times from coming to You our True bread from heaven. Feed us and fill us with inner strength to overcome the meals our enemy presents to us. Deliver us with your heavenly grace from the earthly poisons of the enemy of our eternal life in You through Christ our Lord. Amen

Happy SUNDAY (18th Sunday, Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh