20180812
EUCHARIST AS THE VIATICUM FOR THE JOURNEY OF
LIFE
12 AUGUST, 2018, Sunday, 19th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Kings 19:4-8 ©
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The angel gives Elijah food to reach the mountain of God
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Elijah went into the wilderness, a day’s journey, and sitting
under a furze bush wished he were dead. ‘O Lord,’ he said ‘I have had enough.
Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down and went to
sleep. But an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked round,
and there at his head was a scone baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He
ate and drank and then lay down again. But the angel of the Lord came back a
second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, or the journey will be
too long for you.’ So he got up and ate and drank, and strengthened by that
food he walked for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the
mountain of God.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 33(34):2-9 ©
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Taste and see that the Lord is good.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
The angel of the Lord is encamped
around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
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Second reading
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Ephesians 4:30-5:2 ©
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Forgive each other as readily as God forgave you
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Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his
seal for you to be set free when the day comes. Never have grudges against
others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other
names, or allow any sort of spitefulness. Be friends with one another, and
kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.
Try, then,
to imitate God as children of his that he loves and follow Christ loving as he
loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a
sacrifice to God.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn14:23
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Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn6:51
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven,
says the Lord.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 6:41-51 ©
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Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever
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The Jews were complaining to each other about Jesus, because he
had said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ ‘Surely this is Jesus
son of Joseph’ they said. ‘We know his father and mother. How can he now say,
“I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus said in reply, ‘Stop complaining to each
other.
‘No one can come to me
unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me,
and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They will all be taught by God,
and to hear the teaching of the Father,
and learn from it,
is to come to me.
Not that anybody has seen the Father,
except the one who comes from God:
he has seen the Father.
I tell you most solemnly,
everybody who believes has eternal life.
‘I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the desert
and they are dead;
but this is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,
for the life of the world.’
EUCHARIST AS THE VIATICUM FOR THE JOURNEY OF LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 KINGS 19:4-8; EPH 4:30-5:2; JOHN 6:41-51]
Every one of
us at some time in our lives feels like Elijah in wanting to give up on
whatever we are doing and even on life itself. Elijah
earlier on demonstrated himself to be a fiery prophet, zealous for the House of
Israel and for the faith. He challenged the false prophets of Queen
Jezebel to a debate. To prove the veracity of their claims, Elijah
challenged them to get their gods to consume the holocaust by fire. The
prophets of Baal cried out from morning to noon to their god to consume the
holocaust but nothing happened. To demonstrate the power of Yahweh,
Elijah had trenches built and water to dampen the wood for the fire. He
prayed and God sent the fire to burn up the holocaust.
As a consequence
of their lies, 400 prophets of Baal were killed that day. Of course, the
Queen was furious and ordered the soldiers to hunt him down and have him
killed. So Elijah had to run for his life. He was abandoned,
forsaken and from a triumphant prophet, he became a refugee. This is
where the scripture reading today finds him, in the desert and wilderness
fleeing for his life. He was angry and disappointed that God did
not defend him, nor did the people come to support him. More so, when
he was totally obedient to God! Feeling betrayed, vulnerable and
discouraged, he began to wonder whether winning the debate was a good thing
after all. Success had become a failure for him. In such moments as
this, he wanted to give up his life as his zeal and dedication for the House of
the Lord came to nothing. He felt defeated and desolate that his
courageous efforts did not bring about the conversion of the Israelites.
However, God
in His mercy had allowed this to happen in order to purify the motives of
Elijah in serving Him and His people. God wanted to teach Elijah what
true holiness and service was. The truth is that service cannot be
dependent on spectacular works and successes. If we serve the Lord simply
to find fulfillment in achievements, it is not true service. True service
is to serve the Lord, not one’s interests. If we do only those things
that we like to do, even if they are good, they are done for selfish motives
and personal gain. Indeed, Elijah was carried away by his success.
For many of us too, we choose what we want to do according to our preferences
and those that we find fulfilling rather than asking God what He wants us to
do.
The truth is
that activities and success cannot give us true fulfillment in life. The void within us,
that emptiness cannot be replaced by activities, work or pleasure. Such
emptiness cannot be filled up by ambition either. Success and rewards can
motivate us to some extent but the void in our hearts cannot be filled.
Like Elijah, many of us are hungry. The real hunger is not so much for food but
a spiritual hunger. Many of us are searching for love, acceptance and
security. God led the prophet to experience physical and spiritual hunger
so that he could come to find his true satisfaction in God alone.
For this reason,
it was necessary for Elijah and all of us, especially those in active
church service, to go through the dark night of the senses and the spirit.
God wanted to purify Elijah in his prophetic ministry. Rather than
allowing success to get into his head, God permitted him to experience
failure. It was in the wilderness that Elijah discovered himself.
The symbol of the desert is that of solitude and intimacy with God. Only
in the emptiness of our hearts, can God be found. Going through the Negev
wilderness for forty days and forty nights is a symbol of his long journey in
purification in search for the true God. It was however at the sacred mountain
of Horeb where he took refuge in a cave that God called him in the dark night
of his soul.
What is
significant is that God did not appear to him in spectacular signs and
wonders, not in thunder, lightning or storm but in the stillness of a
gentle wind, God’s little voice was heard. Clearly, it was an important
lesson for Elijah to come to realize that God is encountered only when we cease
to do things and allow His words speak to us. It is in our
spiritual and physical hunger that God reaches out to us. God would speak
to us as He spoke to Elijah, when we empty ourselves of our pride, ambition and
arrogance. Indeed, through this period of darkness, Elijah came to
discover his true motives in serving the Lord. Initially, he thought he
was doing all for Him when he annihilated all the false prophets. He
thought of himself as a zealous prophet of the Lord. But through the
purification process, he came to admit that it was done more out of pride,
self-righteousness and revenge. He lacked compassion and forgiveness.
Hence he confessed, “Take my life: I am no better than my ancestors.”
We too often
serve with the wrong or at least mixed motives. This explains why we
get disappointed when we are unappreciated, unrecognized or when
criticized. We feel that because we are giving from our abundance or from
our goodness, others should appreciate our good act. Somehow, we expect
something from our service. We do not give with pure love. If we
did, then we would not be too worried whether we receive any recognition from our
fellowmen. Furthermore, we serve not man or even those in charge but we
serve God and whoever He appoints to be our leader.
Instead, we
rely on God for His love and strength. Only He can give us the satisfaction that we
are seeking in life. God comes to feed us with His spiritual food.
Just as God sent the angel to feed Elijah with food and water in his hunger and
fatigue, God comes to feed us in Christ Jesus who is the bread of life.
Accordingly, the Eucharist, being the spiritual food of God, is called the
Viaticum, the bread for the journey of life. But what does it mean to
believe that Jesus is the Bread of life?
It means first
and foremost that Jesus is the Word of God. He is the living
word that comes down from heaven. He not only speaks the words of God, He
is the Word of God. He is not merely the voice of the Father but speaks
the words of the Father. As the Way, the Truth and the Life, we are
called to come to Him, meditate and assimilate His Word so that we can become
like Jesus in mind and heart. Through a deep contemplation of His word,
He can heal our emotional needs and quench our thirst for the truth.
To come to
receive Jesus the Bread of life also means that we are called to share
in His sacrifice where He offered Himself for us at Calvary. We are
not merely observers of the Sacrifice of the Mass but we are invited to
immolate ourselves with the Lord, making ourselves as a living sacrifice for
the service of others and the salvation of humanity. We are called to “do
this in memory of Him”, which means that Christ is offering us an example for
us to follow. Like Jesus, we are blessed in order to be broken for others
and be bread for others. This is what participating in the sacrifice of
Christ is all about. Hence, the participation of this sacrifice concludes
with the eating of the Bread of life. We become what we eat. And so
by eating Jesus the Bread of life, we are transformed at the core of our being,
becoming like Jesus.
Thirdly, it
means that we believe also in the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy
Eucharist. In the Eucharist, “the body and blood, together with the soul
and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore the whole Christ, is
truly, really, and substantially contained.” (CCC 1374). The
Eucharist is not merely a symbol of Christ’s body and blood but substantially
is the very body and blood of Christ who is fully present. Faith in the
real presence of the Eucharist makes our reception of the Eucharist a true
personal encounter of His love leading to growth in charity.
To “eat his
flesh and drink his blood” entails following Jesus to the cross and sacrificing
ourselves in service and love. It means that we are called to be bread for others.
Sharing in His life, we are challenged to reach out to the world. How is
this to be done? Firstly, we must sacrifice ourselves for the good of
others, in humility and service. When we serve others with humility, we
will bring others to the Lord. If the Eucharist does not lead us to
charity, then we have not celebrated it rightly. This service we give, St
Paul reminds us, must be done with love and compassion.
Secondly, we
are called to be the real presence of Christ to others in what we say and do. We are called to be Jesus to
others. The best gift we can give to anyone is Jesus. Conscious of
sharing in His sonship, we must allow ourselves to be the extension of the
Sacrament of Jesus who is the sacrament of the Father. Through our
Christian love and compassion for others, we will make Christ’s presence real and
experienced. So in whatever we do or say, we are ambassadors for
Christ. People cannot see Jesus. They see Him in and through us.
Finally, faith
in the Eucharist as the Body of Christ implies that we are called to serve the
Lord not as individuals but as a community. Our mission is communion and
thus communion is necessary for mission. St Paul urges us, “Be friends
with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you
in Christ.” We cannot be individualistic and make our service a personal
achievement of sorts. Rather, because the Eucharist brings us into
communion with God and with each other, we must always work together, in
deference to those who are placed in charge of us. In this way, Christ is
known because whenever they see us loving one another, they know it is because
of the love of God in us.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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