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Reflections
for Sunday, August 2, 2009
The Gospel of Saint John presents us in Chapter 6 with profound teaching
about the Eucharist. There is always more that we can learn from this
Chapter. Today we hear about the confusion between eating bread that
perishes and bread that lasts for ever.
Probably all of us know what it is like to get hungry and yet have nothing
to eat. We probably have not faced starvation but simply hunger. Yet we
can become very uncomfortable even with simply hunger and long for food.
Today's readings are trying to get us to think about whether we have any
real spiritual hunger. If we do, it should function at least somewhat like
physical hunger.
The first reading, from the Book of Exodus, tells us about the physical
hunger that our ancestors in the faith experienced when they were going
through the desert. They needed food. We humans cannot live simply on
spirituality. We also know that we humans cannot live only on physical
food.
The Israelites grumbled. This often happens in our humans situations.
Instead of dealing directly with problems, we begin to grumble and to speak
behind the backs of those who maybe our leaders. This shows another defect
within us.
The Gospel of Saint John teaches us today that we often look for the Lord
Jesus not because we want to follow His teachings, but because we are
looking for some advantage for ourselves. Perhaps we don't think of this
because we are dealing in the realm of the spiritual, but this type of
aggressive self-seeking is also possible in the realm of the spiritual.
The second reading, from the Letter to the Ephesians, is a simple and
profound teaching that we must not live in the futility of our minds.
Faith is not thinking about God but about following God. Today in much of
modern culture we tend to believe that if we can think something, then we
can control it and are in charge of it. This is particularly true in the
areas of mental health: psychology and psychiatry.
Instead, we must learn that following the Lord Jesus forms us by doing,
not thinking. As we begin to do the Lord's will, we are formed and we
learn new realities.
Let us ask this Sunday that we may long for true spirituality and that
following the Lord may form us into strong and joyful Christians.
Readings of the day:
First Reading:
Second Reading:
Gospel:
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Reflections are available for the following Sundays:
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