Ordinary 19

Ordinary 19
August 13, 2006

by Jude Siciliano, OP

I Kings 19:4-8
Psalm 34
Ephesians 4: 30-5:2
John 6: 41-51

Dear Preachers: Today's gospel is of a piece with all of chapter 6. The sixth chapter of John's gospel started with Jesus' multiplication of the loaves for the crowds at Passover time (6: 1-13). After the miracle Jesus fled from the scene because he knew they wanted to make him king (6: 15). Then he appeared to his disciples who were struggling in the stormy seas. He calmed the storm and when they reached the shore the people again came to Jesus. He challenged their motives for coming to him, accusing them of searching him out because of the material goods, like bread, that he could provide them. They failed to interpret the meaning of the bread he gave them; that he is the one who can satisfy our hungers both now and for our future.

The crowd was not searching for Jesus so that they could become his disciples. They sense that he is a special agent from God, his miracles tell them that. They wanted him to provide for them in their present needs. Not an unworthy request, since they were poor and always in need. He did feed them, but wanted them to see in the feeding that he had much more to give them. He was inviting them to trust in him and to believe that whatever difficult paths they were trodding that he was with them and would be with them. With him, they would not perish or lose their way. With the bread he was offering, his very life, they would never be without him and the life of God in their lives.

But they were not ready for any long term commitments. They were not ready to surrender themselves to him in trust. He tells them that he is the "bread that came down from heaven...," and they miss the point. They know his origins, his father and mother, how can he be from heaven? They will not be able to prove his true origins, or reason to his divine identity. Faith is what they need so that they can accept Jesus and the gift of God for them. This faith has an eternal quality and will lead to life.

John tells us that the miraculous feeding took place near the feast of Passover (6:4). His hearers would have been mindful of God's feeding their ancestors manna in the desert. Jesus compares himself to that bread from heaven; but reminds them that those who ate it in the desert died. In Jesus, the bread from heaven, life has been redefined, it does not end in death. Death is no longer our destiny; death does not have the final word after all.

In the beginning of this discourse on the bread of life Jesus tells the crowds, "I myself am the bread of life. No one who comes to me shall ever be hungry, no one who believes in me shall ever thirst" (6:35). What follows is an elaboration on the significance of that statement, a teaching about who Jesus is and how he can feed our hungers and thirsts. Which is where we find our selves in today's passage, in the midst of Jesus' teaching about himself and our relationship to him.

The first part of today's reading is about Jesus as the bread, the life-giving Word of God. The references at this stage are to our being "taught by God," "listening," to God and learning from God. If a person does accept God's Word, he or she will receive eternal life. No other bread, no other material good or teaching has, as its fruits, this promise of giving life that will never fade.

One can ask at this moment of the discourse, "What are my hungers? Where have I gone to satisfy them and where have those choices led me? When my life takes a turn that requires wise choices, strength and perseverance, will the "bread" I have turned to be the nourishment I need? Beneath all our hungers is a hunger for God and Jesus is God's offer to satisfy that hunger. To refuse this bread God is offering in Christ is to turn our backs on a food that could be our strength and guide at times when our own resources prove insufficient.

It is clear that the faith Jesus is inviting us to is not primarily an intellectual assent to dogma, doctrine or propositional statements. The discourse on the bread of life is not about abstractions. Rather, in Jesus, our loving God has shared God's very self with us. And more. In Jesus God has also shared our lives, known our pain and suffered death. Our faith leads us to see in Jesus God's gift of eternal life for us. Faith in Jesus is our sure conviction that God will not let us down, that whatever happens to us, it will not overwhelm us and that evil will not prevail in our lives and the lives of our human family. Elijah, in our first reading exemplifies how faithful God is in our human struggles, so let's look at the prophet and his situation for a moment.

We catch Elijah in mid-career. He has been a powerful prophet, but at this point he feels burdened and laments, "This is enough, O Lord! Take my life for I am no better than my fathers." He seems to be saying that he has been no more successful than the prophets who preceded him. By all appearances Elijah has had significant achievements: on Mount Carmel he triumphed over 400 prophets of the god Baal. But that victory only earned him the enmity of queen Jezebel, who introduced Baal into Israel. Jezebel sets out to kill Elijah and he has to flee into the desert. His faithfulness to God has earned him hatred and the danger of death. That's where we find him today, worn out and seeking the relief of death. His own strength, his "bread," is not enough to see him through this stage of his life.

Anyone of us who works against the false gods of our society and sees little change, can identify with Elijah's state of spirit. We confront the gods of materialism, self-centeredness, greed, militarism, nationalism, environmental waste, religious isolationism, sexual excess, etc, and don't see much changing. In fact, things seem to be getting worse. What difference have our efforts made? How long will it be before we can feel a sense of satisfaction that our life's efforts have improved our families, community, church and world? Why keep trying, why not retreat to our own comfortable worlds, lock the doors, and stop investing ourselves in seeming-futile efforts. And as a church... we have enough to deal with in our own midst, how are we going to get the desire and energy we need to address the larger issues in the world outside our sanctuaries?

God has been working through Elijah, though at this point, he does not feel it. He plops down under a flimsy desert broom tree---the worn out prophet on the verge of despair. Through an angel God visits him twice, wakes him from physical and spiritual torpor, feeds him with a food that will reinvigorate him in body and spirit. The mysterious food and drink is a sign that God has seen his plight, taken pity on him and will sustain him for what lies ahead. The food is enough for his forty day and forty night journey to Horeb (Sinai). God leads the prophet to a place of further revelation. Physical and spiritual nourishment was needed to get him there and God provided it. There is more up ahead for us. God has more to show us about God's self, about ourselves and about the work God has in mind for us to do. And God is providing in Jesus the food we need, not only for the journey, but for even the desire to get up and begin the journey again.

That is what God is doing in today's gospel. We tire from our labors; we want to be faithful witnesses to God's Word, but we meet opposition and our spirits are flagging. God sees our needs and offers us a new nourishment, a bread that will never fail us, the life of Jesus for us and for our world.

This gift of nourishment takes a specific form at the end of today's reading, for it shifts to a eucharistic emphasis. "I am the living bred that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." Jesus is a life-giving bread, for he gives his flesh for us. This giving of his flesh happens in his being crucified. The passion narrative later in John's gospel shows Jesus in full control of the situation. He holds his disciples back from using the sword to resist the soldiers who came to arrest him in the garden; he tells Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world; at his death this king freely give his flesh, as he said he would, "for the life of the world."

Being Jesus' disciples will continue to cost us and we will be asked again and agin to give our lives in his service. We can make this costly sacrifice because he first did it for us. What fragile "broom tree" in our own deserts have we turned to for shelter on our long journey to God? Have we discovered our inadequacies to provide for ourselves? What hungers need to be fed in us? The Word tells us today that God has not only seen our hungers but, by taking flesh, felt them as well. Jesus is the faithful servant of God and in the Eucharist today his life is given to us as food for the journey. Let us take the food and drink God is offering us so we can be strengthened by God's gracious self-giving--- and then take leave of this place and continue on our journey.

JUSTICE NOTES

This is an action alert from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is sent by Mary Doyle of the Diocese of Oakland, CA. Please take time to prayerfully consider a response. In addition, please review the Catholic Relief Website for ways to support humanitarian assistance www.crs.org . Mary Doyle, Diocese of Oakland

ACTION ALERT ON MIDDLE EAST CRISIS:

Request U.S. Leadership to Achieve an Immediate Ceasefire, Deliver Humanitarian Aid and Seek Political Solutions

BACKGROUND: The current cycle of violence in the Middle Ease was immediately precipitated by provocative acts by Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, including cross-border attacks and abductions against Israeli military personnel and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians. Israel has a right to defend its citizens, but its military response has been disproportionate and indiscriminate in some instances, endangering Palestinian and Lebanese civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure. The tragic deaths of civilians, many of whom were children, in Qana, Lebanon, is a recent reminder of civilian vulnerability. Catholic Relief Services staff are on the ground providing humanitarian aid in both Gaza and Lebanon.

USCCB POSITION: The Holy Father, the Holy See, the USCCB Committee on International Policy and the local Church in the Holy Land have spoken out on the human and moral dimensions of the continuing crisis in the Middle East.

In a letter to all members of Congress, Bishop Thomas Wenski, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on International Policy, called on the United States to exercise greater leadership. Bishop Wenski urged the U.S. to work to: end the current cycle of violence, condemn all attacks on civilians, secure an effective and immediate ceasefire, open humanitarian corridors, oppose disproportionate and indiscriminate actions, and move toward negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians to advance a two-state solution, and ensure the independence of Lebanon.

ACTION REQUESTED:
1. Call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111. Emphasize these points:
Ask the President to support an immediate ceasefire.
Acknowledge the right of Israel to protect its people and territory.
Express deep concern for civilians caught up in the conflict on all sides.
Urge U.S. action to secure humanitarian corridors and deliver humanitarian aid.
Urge negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians and measures to ensure the independence of Lebanon.
2. In home district Congressional visits during the August recess, use the additional talking points below.
ADDITIONAL TALKING POINTS: The following talking points are drawn from and reflect the substance of these key Church statements and letters by Church leaders:
The horrific cycle of violence in the Middle East is destroying the lives of innocent people on all sides of the conflict as well as the hopes for the necessary negotiations and accommodations that could lead to a just peace that offers genuine security to Israelis, a viable state for Palestinians and real independence for the Lebanese people. The Catholic community is deeply and urgently concerned about the human costs, the moral implications and future consequences of these unfolding events.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops condemns the terror and provocative acts of Hamas and Hezbollah that precipitated the crises, including cross-border attacks, abductions and the continuing indefensible rocket and missile attacks on innocent Israeli citizens, both Jews and Arabs. These radical armed groups (and their supporters in Syria and Iran) bear the responsibility for initiating the current cycle of violence.
Israel clearly has a right to defend itself, but as Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano said, Israel's right to self-defense "does not exempt it from respecting the norms of international law, especially as regards the protection of civilian populations." Israel's response has been in some instances militarily disproportionate and indiscriminate. In light of traditional Catholic teaching, massive counterattacks on civilian areas and infrastructure, blockades and other acts of war should not be supported. Punishment of entire peoples for the indefensible acts of militant armed factions contradicts traditional just war norms. Indiscriminate attacks on innocent people can not be justified. There are deepening humanitarian crises in Gaza and Lebanon.
Only genuine dialogue and negotiations can bring a lasting and just peace to the region. As Bishop Wenski stated in his appeal to political leaders, that it is "clear that violence, from whatever side, for whatever purpose, cannot bring a lasting or just peace in the Land we call Holy." The recurrent cycle of terrorist attacks, deliberate provocations and disproportionate military responses undermines brave and wise people on all sides who seek a just, two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Regarding Lebanon, the rocket attacks and the bombings of innocent civilians are morally indefensible. Unjustifiable and indiscriminate attacks and excessive military responses endanger innocent lives and undermine Lebanon's struggle to free itself from outside domination and from serving as a bloody pawn in the broader Middle East conflict.
The United States must exercise greater leadership to end the current cycle of violence, condemn all attacks on civilians, secure an effective and immediate ceasefire, open humanitarian corridors, oppose disproportionate and indiscriminate actions, move toward negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians to advance a two state solution, and ensure the independence of Lebanon. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Visit this website for recent USCCB and Church leaders'statements: http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/mideastind.htm#general. Contact: Dr. Stephen M. Colecchi, Director, Office of International Justice and Peace, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 202-541-3196 or scolecchi@usccb.org or Tina Rodousakis, Catholic Relief Services, 410-951-7462 or trodousakis@crs.org.

POSTCARDS TO DEATH ROW INMATES

"It is time to abandon the death penalty -- not just because of what it does to those who are executed, but because of how it diminishes all of us... We ask all Catholics--pastors, catechists, educators and parishioners -- to join us in rethinking this difficult issue and committing ourselves to pursuing justice without vengeance. With our Holy Father, we seek to build a society so committed to human life that it will not sanction the killing of any human person.
------( "Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice," U.S. Catholic Bishops, Nov. 2000,)
Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates' names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or, whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If you like, tell them you heard about them through North Carolina's, "People of Faith Against the Death Penalty." Thanks, Jude Siciliano, OP
Please write to:........................................
Scott D. Allen #0005091 (On death row since 11/18/03)
Terrance R. Elliott #0120236 (12/18/03)
Klye O. Berry #0562597 (3/10/04)
---Central Prison 1300 Western Blvd. Raleigh, NC 27606

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CD Available: "FIRST IMPRESSIONS: PREACHING REFLECTIONS ON LITURGICAL YEAR B" This compilation, from past "First Impressions," includes two reflections on almost all Sundays and major feasts for this liturgical year. For more information and to purchase go to: http://judeop.ispraleigh.com/

ABOUT DONATIONS: If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to Jude Siciliano, O.P., Make checks to "Dominican Friars of Raleigh." Mail contributions to: Jude Siciliano, O.P., Dominican Friars of Raleigh, P.O. Box 12927, Raleigh, N.C. 27605

REGULAR INFORMATION

I get notes from people responding to these reflections. Sometimes they tell how they use "First Impressions" in their ministry and for personal use. Others respond to the reflections, make suggestions and additions. I think our readers would benefit from these additional thoughts. If you drop me a BRIEF note, I will be happy to add your thoughts and reflections to my own. (Judeop@Juno.com)

Our webpage addresses:
(Where you will find "Preachers' Exchange," which includes these reflections and Homilias Dominicales, as well as articles, book reviews and quotes pertinent to preaching.)
http://www.opsouth.org Under "Preachers' Exchange"
http://www.op.org/exchange/

"Homilias Dominicales"-- these Spanish reflections are written by four friars of the Southern Dominican Province experienced in Hispanic Ministry, Isidore Vicente, Carmen Mele, Brian Pierce and Juan Martin Torres. Like "First Impressions", "Homilias Dominicales" are a preacher's early reflections on the upcoming Sunday readings and liturgy. So, if you or a friend would like to receive "Homilias Dominicales" drop a note to John Boll, O.P. at: jboll@opsouth.org
"First Impressions" is a service to preachers and those wishing to prepare for Sunday worship. It is sponsored by the Southern Dominican Province, U.S.A. If you would like "First Impressions" sent weekly to a friend, send a note to John Boll at the above Email address.
If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to:
Jude Siciliano, OP, Promoter of Preaching
Southern Dominican Province, USA
P.O. Box 12927,
Raleigh, N.C. 27605
(919) 833-1893
Make checks to: Dominican Friars of Raleigh.
Thank you.