Give us this Bread!

« Sunday, August 5 »

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 113

It-Tmintax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1

EXODUS 16:2-4, 12-15

The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said  to them, "Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt,as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!"  Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people  are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my  instructions or not. "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites.  Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread, so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God." In the evening quail came up and covered the camp. In the morning a dew lay all about the camp, and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground. On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, "What is this?" for they did not know what it was. But Moses told them, "This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat."

Qari I

mill-Ktieb tal-Ezodu 16, 2-4.12-15

F’dak iż-żmien, fid-deżert, il-ġemgħa kollha ta’ wlied Iżrael bdew igergru kontra Mosè u Aron. Ulied Iżrael qalulhom: “Mhux li mitna b’id il-Mulej fl-art tal-Eġittu, meta konna ħdejn il-borom tal-laħam u konna nieklu ħobż bix-xaba’! Ħriġtuna f’dan id-deżert biex toqtlu bil-ġuħ din il-ġemgħa kollha!”. Il-Mulej imbagħad qal lil Mosè: “Ara, se nibagħtilkom xita ta’ ħobż mis-sema. Il-poplu kollu joħroġ u jiġbor minn jum għal ieħor kemm ikun jenħtieġ għall-ġurnata, biex hekk inġarrabhom u nara jimxux mal-liġi tiegħi jew le. Jien smajt it-tgergir ta’ wlied Iżrael. Kellimhom u għidilhom: ‘Filgħaxija tieklu l-laħam u filgħodu tixbgħu bil-ħobż. U tkunu tafu li jiena l-Mulej, Alla tagħkom’”. U ġara li filgħaxija dehret qatgħa summien tittajjar fl-għoli u għattiet it-tined kollha, u filgħodu kien hemm wiċċ nida madwar it-tined. Meta din in-nida għabet, fuq wiċċ id-deżert kien hemm xi ħaġa rqiqa qisha ġlata fuq l-art. Malli wlied Iżrael raw dan, bdew jgħidu wieħed lil ieħor: “Man-hu?” – Għax ma għarfux x’inhu. Mosè qalilhom: “Dan hu l-ikel li l-Mulej takom biex tieklu”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm

PSALM 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54

What we have heard and know,

and what our fathers have declared to us,

We will declare to the generation to come

the glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength

and the wonders that he wrought.

R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

He commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of heaven;

he rained manna upon them for food

and gave them heavenly bread.

R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels,

food he sent them in abundance.

And he brought them to his holy land,

to the mountains his right hand had won.

R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Salm Responsorjali

Salm 77 (78), 3.4bċ.23-24.25.54

  

Dak li smajna u tgħallimna,

dak li qalulna missirijietna,

inxandruh lin-nisel ta’ warajhom:

tifħir il-Mulej u l-qawwa tiegħu,

u l-għeġubijiet li għamel. R/.

 R/. (24b): Il-Mulej tahom il-qamħ mis-sema

Imma hu ordna s-sħab fl-għoli,

u fetaħ bwieb is-smewwiet;

u xita ta’ manna bagħtilhom x’jieklu,

tahom il-qamħ mis-sema. R/.

R/. (24b): Il-Mulej tahom il-qamħ mis-sema

Kull wieħed kiel il-ħobż tal-qalbenin,

ikel bix-xaba’ bagħtilhom.

U daħħalhom fl-art imqaddsa tiegħu,

fuq l-għolja li kisbet il-leminija tiegħu. R/.

 R/. (24b): Il-Mulej tahom il-qamħ mis-sema

Reading 2

EPHESIANS 4:17, 20-24

Brothers and sisters: I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the

Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; that is not how you learned Christ, assuming That you have heard of him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Qari II

Qari mill-Ittra ta’ San Pawl Appostlu lill-Efesin 4, 17.20-24

Ħuti, jiena dan ngħidilkom u nwissikom quddiem il-Mulej: li ma ġġibux iżjed ruħkom skont ma jġibu ruħhom il-pagani bil-bluha ta’ moħħhom. Imma intom mhux hekk tgħallimtu ’l Kristu – jekk intom smajtuh u tgħallimtuh skont il-verità li hi f’Ġesù - jiġifieri, li għandkom twarrbu l-ħajja tagħkom ta’ qabel u tinżgħu l-bniedem il-qadim, imħassar bix-xewqat tal-pjaċiri qarrieqa, u li għandkom tiġġeddu b’tibdila spiritwali tal-fehma tagħkom u tilbsu l-bniedem il-ġdid, maħluq skont Alla, fil-ġustizzja u l-qdusija tassew. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel

JOHN 6:24-35

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.  And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?  What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat." So Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."  

Evanġelju 

Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Ġwann Ġw 6, 24-35

F’dak iż-żmien, in-nies meta ntebħu li fuq id-dgħajsa la kien hemm Ġesù u lanqas id-dixxipli tiegħu, telgħu fuq id-dgħajjes u marru lejn Kafarnahum ifittxu lil Ġesù. U meta sabuh in-naħa l-oħra tal-baħar staqsewh: “Rabbi, meta ġejt hawn?”. Ġesù weġibhom: “Tassew tassew ngħidilkom, intom qegħdin tfittxuni mhux għax rajtu sinjali, imma għax kiltu mill-ħobż u xbajtu. Tħabtu mhux għall-ikel li jgħaddi, iżda għall-ikel li jibqa’ għall-ħajja ta’ dejjem, dak li Bin il-bniedem jagħtikom, għaliex lilu Alla l-Missier immarka bis-siġill tiegħu”. Imbagħad staqsewh: “X’għandna nagħmlu biex nagħmlu l-opri ta’ Alla?” Weġibhom Ġesù: “L-opra ta’ Alla hija din: li intom temmnu f’dak li huwa bagħat”.Qalulu: “X’sinjal se tagħmel biex aħna narawh u nemmnuk? X’sejjer tagħmel? Missirijietna kielu l-manna fid-deżert, bħalma hemm miktub, ‘Tahom jieklu ħobż mis-sema’”. Weġibhom Ġesù: Tassew tassew ngħidilkom, mhux Mosè takom il-ħobż mis-sema, iżda Missieri jagħtikom il-ħobż tassew mis-sema; għaliex il-ħobż ta’ Alla huwa dak li jinżel mis-sema u jagħti l-ħajja lid-dinja”. Qalulu huma: “Sinjur, agħtina dejjem minn dan il-ħobż”. Weġibhom Ġesù: “Jiena hu l-ħobż tal-ħajja. Min jiġi għandi ma jieħdu qatt il-ġuħ, u min jemmen fija ma jkun qatt bil-għatx!”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Give Us This Bread Always!

A REFLECTION by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

We can certainly understand God's frustration with his people in today's first reading from Exodus (16:2-4,12-15). The God of Israel has just delivered his people from slavery and has set them on the way to their promised land. Yet after crossing the Red Sea and celebrating their victory, the first recorded action in the Sinai proves to be grumbling and dissatisfaction, first over the bitter water at Mara (Exodus 15:22-27), and then more complaining and nostalgic longing for the fleshpots in the land of Egypt, where they were able to eat their fill! Into this setting of ingratitude and lamentation, God rains down bread from heaven (manna) and quail for their food. The Exodus passage (16:2-4,12-15) contrasts the nonbeliever (who grumbles that the manna and quail are meagre nourishment) with the believer (who sees these as God's generous gifts to the hungry).

A different kind of food

In today's Gospel text (John 6:24-35) that follows the miraculous multiplication of the loaves, Jesus says to the crowds who were seeking him: "Truly, truly I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you" (John 6:26-27).

Jesus' hearers continue the conversation and ask him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" (John 6:28). Jesus answers: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent" (John 6:29). It is an exhortation to have faith in the Son of Man, in the giver of the food that does not perish. Without faith in him whom the Father has sent, it is not possible to recognize and accept this gift which does not pass away.

The miraculous multiplication of the loaves had not evoked the expected response of faith in those who had been eyewitnesses of that event. They wanted a new sign: "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat'" (John 6:30-31). The disciples gathered around Jesus expecting a sign like the manna, which their ancestors had eaten in the desert. But Jesus exhorts them to expect something more than a mere repetition of the miracle of the manna, to expect a different kind of food. He says: "It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" (Jn 6:32-33).

Along with physical hunger there is within each of us another hunger, a more basic hunger, which cannot be satisfied by ordinary food. It is a hunger for life, a hunger for eternity, nostalgia for God. The sign of the manna was the proclamation of the coming of Christ who was to satisfy our hunger for eternity by Himself becoming the "living bread" that "gives life to the world."

What is so startling about Jesus' remarks in this discourse is that he is not claiming to be another Moses, or one more messenger in a long line of human prophets. In giving us the bread of life, Jesus does not offer temporary nourishment, he gives us the eternal bread of his word. It will not pass away. It will nourish and give life forever. Jesus is this bread, and in offering to share it with us he calls us to faith in him.

Jesus invites us to "come to him," "believe in him," "look upon him," "be drawn to him," "hear him," and to "learn of him." All of these verbs invite the active response of our faith (cf. John 6:36, 37, 40, 44, 45). His word is nourishment for our faith.

Those who heard Jesus ask him to fulfill what had been proclaimed by the sign of the manna, perhaps without being conscious of how far their request would go: "Lord, give us this bread always" (John 6:34). How eloquent is this request! How generous and how amazing is its fulfillment! "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."

Grumblings and ideologies

How difficult it was for Jesus' hearers to make this passage from the sign to the mystery indicated by that sign, from daily bread to the bread "which endures to eternal life"! Nor is it easy for us, the people of the 21st century to make such passages in our own life, from sign to mystery.

At times our grumblings and murmurings about the Eucharist and the Church often rise to fevered pitch, not much different from the grumbling and murmuring of Israel in the desert. Excessive tensions arising from Church politics, gender issues, liturgical practices, language -- all of these influence today's Eucharist -- and can lead us to a feeling of God's absence.

Our Eucharistic celebrations are not taking place at Massah and Meribah -- places of murmuring in the desert. We are often stuck in endless arguments between devotion and liturgy, or in a constant dispute between charity and justice. When devotion is treated as the enemy of liturgy and charity as the betrayer of justice, or when liturgy is reduced to private devotion and justice not recognized as constitutive to the Gospel.

Adoration rediscovered

Here is one concrete example to illustrate the above point about liturgy and devotion. Many of my generation have responded very negatively to the younger generation's rediscovery of Eucharistic adoration and devotion.

Benedict XVI put a great emphasis on Eucharistic adoration and devotion in Catholic life. Many of us have failed to see that our public worship is intimately related to adoration, so much so that they could be considered as one. Piety and devotion can be springboards to mature faith. Each time we gather together to celebrate the Eucharist as the Christian community, we profess, together with the whole Church, our faith in Christ the Eucharist, in Christ -- the living bread and the bread of life.

During the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City in 2008, Filipino Bishop Louis Antonio Tagle, now the Cardinal-Archbishop of Manila, delivered a remarkable catechesis that concluded with a profound explanation of the meaning of authentic Adoration of the Eucharist.

Bishop Tagle said:

"In the Eucharist, the Church joins Jesus in adoring the God of life. But the practice of Eucharistic adoration enlivens some features of worship. We believe that the presence of Christ in the Eucharist continues beyond the liturgy. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament connotes being present, resting, and beholding. In adoration, we are present to Jesus whose sacrifice is ever present to us. Abiding in him, we are assimilated more deeply into his self-giving. Beholding Jesus, we receive and are transformed by the mystery we adore. Eucharistic adoration is similar to standing at the foot of the Cross of Jesus, being a witness to his sacrifice of life and being renewed by it. The sacrifice or spiritual worship of Jesus on the cross is his supreme act of adoration."

This week let us ask ourselves: What does Jesus' Eucharistic presence means for us? Does our participation in the weekly (and for some, daily) celebration of the Lord's meal transform us into people of gratitude, loving kindness, and justice? Let us consider what Jesus requires of us who partake of the Eucharistic banquet. In what ways does the Eucharist symbolize the life we are living and our life symbolize the Eucharist? How do we express gratitude? Is the Eucharist the spiritual exercise giving direction to our life?

May our Eucharistic celebrations continue to transform our parish communities and the society around us into a civilization of love! May they nourish in us a hunger and thirst for justice. May our longing for the Eucharist make us ever more patient and kind with one another. Let us pray that we may truly become what we receive in the Eucharistic meal.

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