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

THEME: “THE BREAD FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO STAY ALIVE”

INTRODUCTION:

In Piers Paul work; “Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors”, he narrated a very touching real life story. On October 12, 1972, Uruguayan rugby players were on an airplane to Chile for a tournament, but their plane crashed on the snow-capped Andes Mountains. Out of the forty passengers, only a handful survived. Lost in the snowy Andes Mountains for two months, when all food supplies were exhausted, the weaker players who sensed that their death was near, begged their other companions to eat their flesh after they were dead. Surviving on the flesh of their friends, the few whom remained alive, tearfully narrated this story of how their friends wanted them to survive by consuming their flesh.

This is the fourth Sunday in a row that Jesus continued to teach about the value of the Eucharist; His own, Flesh and Blood, given for those who want to stay alive. Unlike the heroes of Andes who offered their flesh for the life of their friends at death, Jesus offered us his own flesh while He was still very much alive. Christ’s own Body and Blood gives life, saves life, and extends our life to eternal life. He has given us His own Flesh and Blood for our survival in a lasting and permanent way in the Holy Eucharist.

 

THE FIRST READING (PROV. 9: 1 – 6)

In the first reading, we can deduce that Jesus is that Wisdom of God calling and inviting us his friends to come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. He has set up for us the seven pillars of the sacraments which the Eucharist is the center table that holds the other sacraments in a balance. It is only one who truly loves you will invites you to a special dinner like the Eucharist the food of Angels.

 

THE SECOND READING (EPH. 5: 15 – 20)

In the second reading, St. Paul admonished us not to be unwise or foolish or get drunk with wine; that is not the essence of the Eucharist nor the will of God. The Eucharist is a holy meal, taking while giving thanks, singing psalms and spiritual songs to the Lord with all our hearts. This is why the Eucharist has also been described as a special prayer and thanksgiving to God. When we gather to offer it, everyone who is wise and knows God’s will, must join their voices and hearts in the Eucharistic songs and thanksgiving to God.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (JN. 6: 51 – 58)

All through the gospel reading, Jesus associated the bread that He will give with life; not just earthly life, but eternal life. Whoever eats the flesh of the son of man and drinks his blood has eternal life; says Jesus. Simply put, the Eucharist is for those who want stay eternally alive; that is, those who want to have life abundantly here and here after.

 

CONCLUSION

Brethren, Jesus continues to invite us to the table of the Eucharist where he has offered us his Flesh and Blood as a lifesaving and life giving bread. More than the flesh and blood of the dead teammates in our introductory story offered over a short period of time to save (keep alive) a handful of friends, and offered only as a last resort; Jesus rather offered his own Flesh and Blood as our first, present and continuous/long term lifesaving/life giving bread for many. Pope Pius X in his decree ‘Sacra Tridentina Synodus’ of 20th December, 1905, on frequent and daily reception of Holy Communion, exhorts us that; “Frequent communion is the shortest way to secure the salvation of every individual man as well as that of society.” Frequent communion should be open to all the faithful. The Eucharist is not just offered to keep alive a handful of friends over a short time, but offered to keep alive the whole company of believers in Christ Jesus all through their life time and into eternity.

 

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Justin

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

Theme: Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Readings: Prov. 9:1-6; Eph 5:15-20; Jn. 6:51-58

Dear friends in Christ, on this twentieth Sunday, Jesus is inviting us to the true banquet – the Eucharist – that gives us life eternal. He says whoever eats of the food of this banquet will have life eternal, but he who does not eat from it will not have life in him.

In today’s second reading, St Paul tells the Ephesian Christians and all of us that the days we live in are evil. Indeed, our world has almost become the theatre of evil with wars, attacks, starvation, corruption, anti-human policies, ungodly ideologies, scandals, and so on spreading like wildfire on daily basis. Most of the time, evil masks itself as good and seeks to pull us away from Christ the source of life.

Dear friends, how can we navigate our way out of this evil world? How should we live our lives to stay safe and free from evil in this world? How can we defeat evil in this world?

Some people believe that the way to overcome evil in the world is to live their lives in accordance with the spirit of the world and the designs of their hearts, rather than the truths of revealed religion. Some believe that following Christ's teachings as a means of defeating evil is foolish; instead, they prefer to live their lives solely by doing what makes them happy, regardless of the moral implications. Some people believe that they do not need God or the teachings of Jesus to overcome evil in the world; rather, they believe that their own human strength and intelligence will suffice. According to St Paul, people who think this way are unwise.

Therefore, St Paul advises that we must be careful how we live our lives in this world. He teaches that we should not live as unwise men: those who live according to the desires of the flesh and the spirit of this world, refusing to be guided by the Spirit of God, and those who don’t want God and His teachings in their lives. We should rather be wise by understanding God’s will for our lives and making good use of our time. He teaches us that true wisdom comes from knowing God, knowing His will for us and doing it every day; this is great wisdom and the sure route out of the darkness of evil in this world. However, refusing to know and follow God’s will is self-deception and foolishness, and will continue to lead the world into more evil.

In the first reading, an invitation was given to us by Lady Wisdom, representing God, to come to her feast and eat of the exquisitely prepared food of wisdom and understanding. By eating of this meal, we will not be entrapped by the foolishness of this world, which tells us that knowing God and following his teachings are foolishness and are not needed in our lives; we will be saved from the folly that tells us that the best way to live in this world is to pursue our happiness irrespective of the moral implications, and from the folly that tells us that adopting anti-Christian ideologies is a progressive way of living.

In today’s gospel, Jesus offers us that meal that will fill us with true wisdom and life, and save us from folly, which the world refers to as ‘her own true wisdom’. He said this real food is His Body and Blood. He promised that whoever eats of this heavenly food will not be trapped in the darkness of death but will rise from the dead and live forever. It is the meal that provides those on this spiritual journey with the heavenly wisdom to discover, know and follow the will of God, so that they will not be deceived by the folly and spirit of this world, which are being promoted as better way of living.

When Jesus offered this heavenly meal to the Jews who were guided by the wisdom of this world, they doubted its possibility and efficacy in their lives, just as those whose wisdom is earthbound in our world do not believe that the Holy Eucharist, worshipping of God and obedience to the teachings of Jesus will do their lives any good. Today’s psalm extends an invitation to all those who still doubt the power of the Eucharist, those who don’t see any good in obeying the teachings of Christ, those whose wisdom is earthbound to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Peace be with you. Have a blessed Sunday.

Fr Isaac C. Chima

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

THEME: I AM... COME!

(John 6:51-58)

In the Gospel of today, we saw Jesus teaching about the Holy Eucharist. He did not only teach His disciples but the crowds of the Jews.

He begins with "I am." He says: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever..." This should have initiated a flashback to Divinity. This is meant to make them reflect on the wondrous doings of God in the wilderness and how He fed them with bread from heaven. But because the Jews were in the flesh, they were unable to understand the teachings.

Jesus continued: "Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of man and drink his Blood, you have no life in you" He went ahead to differentiate between the food that He is and that which their fathers ate and died. Jesus invites us all to himself for the following Eucharistic reasons.

 

COME AND EAT

Happy are those called to the supper of the lamb. Do you still receive the Holy Communion? Do you still do that in the state of grace? Do you feel the hand of Jesus waking you up as he woke Elijah to come and eat to be strengthened for the journey ahead?

 

COME AND DRINK

Life is in the blood. Giving us His blood, opening His side for us like the Pelican is suggestive of the fact that Jesus does not want us to die of thirst of eternal life. When one lacks blood, he dies. Let us go to eat and drink.

 

COME AND SHARE

As we share in the life of God, we are encouraged to be sharers of love. The Eucharist is a unifying force. Let us see each other as one with whom we have something to share.

 

COME AND BE FORGIVEN

The Eucharist draws us to pray for the forgiveness of our sins and those of the whole world. It helps us to prepare ourselves and remain in the state of Grace. It removes venial sins from our hearts and gives us grace to avoid mortal sins. Let us not take the grace of God for granted.

 

COME AND ADORE

"Venite adoremus" is an important invitation we receive. The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in all the tabernacles of the world, indicated by the light that burns endlessly, there calls for profound adoration.

How serious is your devotion to the celebration of the Holy Mass?

How many times have you visited Jesus in the Holy Eucharist on your own?

Do you still genuflect deeply when you enter the Church with the Eucharistic Lord in the tabernacle?

Do you still maintain the great silence accorded to the Blessed Sacrament?

 

COME AND BE TRANSFORMED

The Eucharist comes into Being by Transubstantiation. Transubstantiation implies transformation. In receiving the Eucharist, we are transformed into what we consume. Are you open to the benediction and transformation that flows from the Body and Blood of Christ?

 

COME AND LIVE FOREVER

Do not starve to death. Do not perish eternally in hell. Without Jesus, you're lifeless. Without Jesus, there will be no life in you. Obtain the grace of enjoying eternal bliss from here.

Jesus insists that He lives for us, and since he lives, we too shall live.

We pray at this celebration that the Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus epitomized in the Eucharist may be our strength, that our joy, our refuge, and our salvation.

We pray that we may not be distracted by the poisonous food of the world but heed the Divine word and ever enjoy here and hereafter at the Holy altar set before us through Christ our Lord. Amen

Happy Sunday

(20th Sunday, Ordinary Time Year B).

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh