On this day when we celebrate the awesome gift of the Eucharist one would think that the Gospel of this wonderful feast day would be about “the Last Supper,” but instead, it is the Gospel of the feeding of the five thousand.
When the disciples come to Jesus and complain that the people are hungry, Jesus says in response “give them some food yourselves”! The story of the “feeding of the five thousand” is about Jesus’ acknowledgement of human hunger…hunger for food… hunger for peace, hunger for justice…and a deep hunger for God!
As we celebrate the gift of Jesus giving himself to us in the Eucharist let us take seriously his command to “do this in memory of me”. Of course, the question is: what is the “this”?…for sure it is the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup. But is it more?
Perhaps the “this” of “do this in memory of me” includes all that Jesus had done in his ministry and what he was about to do, the next day, as he stretched out wide his arms on the cross!
As Roman Catholics we believe that the bread and wine become the real body and blood of Jesus Christ poured out for the life of the world. And that when we receive the real presence of Christ we are changed, transformed more and more into the Body of Christ. It becomes an indwelling of
the very presence of Jesus Christ within us! A Divine presence that we carry out into the world; one that has the power to transform us and our lives…and the world! We have to tap into that presence and allow it to shape our lives, and all of our encounters with each other.
This transformation though is not just for our personal sake alone but for the sake of the world. We are called to take the real presence of Christ out into the world and feed all those who hunger. Those who hunger for food…those who hunger for racial justice…those who hunger for peace and
stability in their lives…and those who hunger for an encounter with God!
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is calling us to take this real presence of the Risen Christ into the world by demanding that Congress not cut our most crucial social support programs -- Medicaid, Medicare, Snap, school lunches and all of the other safety net programs that
they are voting on to eliminate or severely cut back, leaving millions of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers at the risk of total ruin.
The Bishops are asking us to speak out on immigration reform and a stop to the unethical deportation operations that are happening all across the country. Please go the Bishop’s website and click on “Alerts” -- let us put our discipleship of Jesus Christ into action. It only takes a minute. You can make your voice heard and live out Jesus’ command…“when I was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was a stranger you welcomed me, when is was sick and imprisoned you visited me…
Let us fulfill Jesus’ command to feed those who hunger for food…for equality and justice…for those who hunger for peace…and those who hunger for God. How do I share the “real presence” within me with others? How does participating in the Eucharist effect the way I live my daily life?
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
When the disciples come to Jesus and complain that the people are hungry, Jesus says in response “give them some food yourselves”! The story of the “feeding of the five thousand” is about Jesus’ acknowledgement of human hunger…hunger for food… hunger for peace, hunger for justice…and a deep hunger for God!
As we celebrate the gift of Jesus giving himself to us in the Eucharist let us take seriously his command to “do this in memory of me”. Of course, the question is: what is the “this”?…for sure it is the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup. But is it more?
Perhaps the “this” of “do this in memory of me” includes all that Jesus had done in his ministry and what he was about to do, the next day, as he stretched out wide his arms on the cross!
As Roman Catholics we believe that the bread and wine become the real body and blood of Jesus Christ poured out for the life of the world. And that when we receive the real presence of Christ we are changed, transformed more and more into the Body of Christ. It becomes an indwelling of
the very presence of Jesus Christ within us! A Divine presence that we carry out into the world; one that has the power to transform us and our lives…and the world! We have to tap into that presence and allow it to shape our lives, and all of our encounters with each other.
This transformation though is not just for our personal sake alone but for the sake of the world. We are called to take the real presence of Christ out into the world and feed all those who hunger. Those who hunger for food…those who hunger for racial justice…those who hunger for peace and
stability in their lives…and those who hunger for an encounter with God!
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is calling us to take this real presence of the Risen Christ into the world by demanding that Congress not cut our most crucial social support programs -- Medicaid, Medicare, Snap, school lunches and all of the other safety net programs that
they are voting on to eliminate or severely cut back, leaving millions of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers at the risk of total ruin.
The Bishops are asking us to speak out on immigration reform and a stop to the unethical deportation operations that are happening all across the country. Please go the Bishop’s website and click on “Alerts” -- let us put our discipleship of Jesus Christ into action. It only takes a minute. You can make your voice heard and live out Jesus’ command…“when I was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was a stranger you welcomed me, when is was sick and imprisoned you visited me…
Let us fulfill Jesus’ command to feed those who hunger for food…for equality and justice…for those who hunger for peace…and those who hunger for God. How do I share the “real presence” within me with others? How does participating in the Eucharist effect the way I live my daily life?
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
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