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Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 113
It-Tmintax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
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
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 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
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
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
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
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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
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
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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