20170429 THE POOR NEED JESUS, THE BREAD OF LIFE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 6:1-7 ©
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About this time, when
the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against
the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked.
So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It
would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you,
brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation,
filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them,
and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’ The
whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of
faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon,
Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these
to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The word
of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was
greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the
faith.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
32(33):1-2,4-5,18-19 ©
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May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
Ring out your joy to
the Lord, O you just;
for
praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the
Lord upon the harp,
with a
ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
For the word of the
Lord is faithful
and all
his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves
justice and right
and fills
the earth with his love.
May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord looks on
those who revere him,
on those
who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls
from death,
to keep
them alive in famine.
May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Rm6:9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ, having been
raised from the dead, will never die again.
Death has no power
over him any more.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ has risen, he
who created all things,
and has granted his
mercy to men.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 6:16-21 ©
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In the evening the
disciples went down to the shore of the lake and got into a boat to make for
Capernaum on the other side of the lake. It was getting dark by now and Jesus
had still not rejoined them. The wind was strong, and the sea was getting
rough. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the
lake and coming towards the boat. This frightened them, but he said, ‘It is I.
Do not be afraid.’ They were for taking him into the boat, but in no time it
reached the shore at the place they were making for.
THE
POOR NEED JESUS, THE BREAD OF LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ACTS 6:1-7; PS 32:1-2, 4-5,18-19; JOHN 6:16-21 ]
How many of us have been in the sea? We
might have, and of course for many, only in cruise ships. But how many
have experienced being at sea in a boat during stormy weather? Not many I
believe, especially for Singaporeans. So many of us cannot imagine what
the disciples were going through in today’s gospel. We read that “the
wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough.” If we were right in the
middle of the sea or the lake, surely we would be very nervous and panicky
because the waves and the wind could capsize the boat and we would all be
drowned. Fighting against the wind and stabilizing the boat is not easy.
In truth, many of us are in this
situation. We all face bad weather, or even storms in our lives. We
are in financial straits. We are sick and not well. We are worried
about our medical expenses. We are also worried about the education of our
children and their expenses. We are all alone, and worried about getting
old and becoming demented. Who will look after us? Indeed, we all
have a thousand and one worries about our health, food, accommodation, medical
help and care. If we are in such a situation, then the gospel
assures us that Jesus is with us. To each one of us, He said, “It is I.
Do not be afraid.”
But how is He with us today? He
comes to us through the Church, the Word of God and the Eucharist. Hence,
right from the start of the early Church, there is a close relationship between
the preaching of the Word of God and charity to the poor; the Eucharist and
almsgiving. Those who joined the primitive Christian community initially were
mostly poor people, since Jesus came for the outcasts, the marginalized, the
sick and the poor. Those who were rich and respectable joined them
only later when they heard the message of the Good News. Furthermore,
initially, they were mostly Jews but later on the Greek-speaking Jews were
included.
In the first reading, we read of the
dilemma of the apostles. They were preaching the Word of God. As
the Word was preached, more and more members were added to the community.
But the apostles had no time to attend to the material and emotional needs of
the poorer members of the community. Should they preach the Word of God
first, or should they feed the poor first? The truth is that both are
equally important in the proclamation of the Good News. In the time of
Jesus, He never proclaimed the gospel without the signs, seen in His miracles
and exorcism; and in reaching out to the suffering and sinners. St James
also makes it clear that faith without good works is dead. Until they
experience the love of God in person, they will not be ready to hear the Word
of God because they would just be nice words.
It was in this context that the deacons
were appointed to help the apostles to attend to the poor. So the Twelve called
a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, “You, brothers, must select
from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and
with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote
ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.” It is important to
note that the early Church gave priority to the proclamation of the Word of God
before giving out food to the poor. Clearly, there is a question of
primacy; not so much of importance. It would be wrong, they said, “It
would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food.”
On the other hand, Jesus, in the gospel,
fed the people first and then proclaimed the Word of God. The episode of
today’s gospel is sandwiched between the miracle of the feeding of the Five
Thousand and the Discourse on the Eucharist. Earlier we read of the
compassion of Jesus when He saw the crowd coming to Him. He said to
Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” (Jn 6:5) This too
must be our question as well. How do we find resources to feed the many
poor in this world who are deprived even of the basic needs of life?
Thus, Jesus showed Himself to be the Bread of Life by multiplying five barley
loaves and two fish for the 5000 people. By so doing, He manifested
Himself as the Bread of life. It is for this reason that the celebration of the
Eucharist today is closely connected with charity to the poor. We cannot
speak about celebrating the passion and self-giving of Jesus in the Eucharist
without doing likewise after we receive Him. So a true love for the
Eucharist must necessarily lead to a real love and concern for the poor and the
suffering.
However, this must be seen in
perspective. We come back to the same dilemma. Should we feed the
poor first or proclaim the Word of God? In the case of Jesus, we read
that when “they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he
withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (Jn 6:15) They
misunderstood Jesus as their political messiah. They wanted Jesus only to
satisfy their material and physical needs. Later on, Jesus had to clarify
and explain to them the real intent of the miracle of the loaves. The
Lord wanted them to go beyond the daily bread to the Heavenly Bread of life
that can sustain them now and for eternity. Hence, it was followed by the
discourse on Jesus as the Bread of Life, the manna from heaven. The Eucharist
would be the theme for the following week day masses.
Consequently, we must balance these two
approaches and find the intrinsic link between them. Whether we choose to
use the first approach, namely, the proclamation of the Word of God before charity
to the poor or vice versa, the end point remains the same. We are called
to bring them to Jesus, the Bread of life. Only Jesus can fulfill all
their desires and soothe all their fears and anxieties. No matter how
much we have in life, we will never have enough because that word does not
exist in our vocabulary. Man is always anxious of the future. He
wants to be in control. He lacks faith and trust in God’s providence.
But if we give them Jesus, then they
learn to trust in the Lord. Indeed, we read that when Jesus was not with
them, they were in trouble. “It was getting dark by now and Jesus had
still not rejoined them.” Without Jesus, life is darkness. There is
no joy but only fear of the future. With Jesus, they can overcome all
storms and fears in their lives. Indeed, the gospel noted, “They were for
taking him into the boat, but in no time it reached the shore at the place they
were making for.” With Jesus, the journey would be smoother and made
easier. We will carry our trials and sufferings with cheerfulness and
confidence in His divine assistance.
That is why, if we give the poor the gift
of Jesus, they learn contentment and will be happy with whatever they have.
Happiness is not determined by how much we have, what food we eat and what
we wear but it is in the mind. Happiness has more to do with living a
purposeful life, caring for others and reaching out to others, so long as we
have the basic needs in life,. When we keep thinking of ourselves, we can
never be happy. The best way to stop worrying is to think of others and
not our own needs.
Besides the food we offer, to give them
Jesus is to give them the Eucharist, the Bread of life, the Word of God to
guide, inspire and enlighten them, so that they will live in hope and trust in
His love. When they walk a righteous and responsible life, they will
eventually learn to help themselves and also be of service to others.
Sometimes, poverty is caused by irresponsibility and the failure to take charge
of our lives and live responsibly according to the gifts the Lord has given to
us. Of course at times it is due to circumstances, such as illness and
immobility. For such people, we can be sure that the Lord will send kind
people to look after them. God will never abandon these people but will
inspire people to respond to their needs.
Most of all, we are called to give them
Jesus personally in the Eucharist. In receiving the Lord, they will find
strength to overcome their anxieties and fear. With the Lord in their
hearts, they will live not just for today but for eternity. They can take
their sufferings patiently and join them in union with the Lord’s sacrifice on
the cross. Through their sufferings, they too can grow in faith and in
self-surrender like the early Christians, the apostles and the martyrs who
suffered for Christ. Whoever has Jesus in their life will always find
fullness of life and love.
So, if we truly want to serve the poor or
help the poor to look at life positively, we, as messengers of the Lord, must
be like the deacons; be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Even as
we serve, we must never forget to devote ourselves to prayer and the Word of
God. Only those who cultivate a deep love for the Lord in the Eucharist
will find the strength and capacity to see the face of Jesus in the poor.
That is why many religious congregations insist that their members spend an
hour of adoration each day before the Lord before they go out for their
apostolate. Only in this way will they see the face of Jesus’ compassion for them.
We can serve the poor but if we do not serve with joy, compassion and respect
for them, we bring more harm than good. Above all, give them Jesus,
whether through your love for them, your good deeds, or if there is an
opportunity, explain the gospel of Jesus Christ to them.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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