Friday, July 31, 2020

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 2, 2020. EPISODE 243

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 2, 2020

EPISODE 243


Readings for 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A

FIRST READING: Isaiah 55:1-3

Psalm 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18. "The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth."
SECOND READING:
Romans 8:35, 37-39

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, (Matthew 4:4b).Alleluia, alleluia! No one lives on bread alone. But on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
GOSPEL:
Matthew 14:13-21

 

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed image stock photo ID:  ID: 1184313556. Biblical vector illustration series, Jesus feeds the five thousand. By rudall30
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 2, 2020, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-18a-episode-243  (EPISODE: 243)
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Prologue: "What Christ gives us is quite explicit if his own words are interpreted according to their Aramaic meaning. The expression 'this is my Body' means 'this is myself.' [Jesuit Theologian, KARL RAHNER (1904-1984)].

 

These reading remind us that in every age the Lord ensures that he feeds us with his Body and Blood; He nourishes us with his life-giving and transforming Word; He strengthens us with his grace;  restores us with his mercy and ….(first and foremost!), He loves us as his own, as sons and daughters…….with a bond of love that simply can never be broken.  Not even death, nor life, not distance nor time, nothing at all can separate us from God's love. And then……. this gracious God sends us out as his family……his friends, his people, …….disciples and co-workers, to be an instrument of God's nourishment and strength for others.

 

Jesus is still at work in our lives and in the world; inspiring people of goodwill everywhere to respond with compassion and practical action to help the starving, the homeless, the guilty, the dispossessed, the ill.. and so many others in need.

Let us always remember Jesus advice... "YOU give them something to eat, yourselves!"

 

(REFERENCES: Break Open the Word).

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18 Sunday Year A

 

This intriguing event of the distribution of the loaves and fish was primarily intended for those followers of Jesus who were worried about the possibility of persecution from the legal authorities, other religious groups, even friends and family members, and also worried by what seemed to be the very slow progress of Christianity. The story reminds them, as President Roosevelt said when he was inaugurated in 1933, the only thing to fear is fear itself, blind unreasoning terror that paralyses our every action. The impossible will now seem reasonable when we choose to follow and accept this man of God. This is a reassuring story for the early Christian community but also for us today.

 

When we read the Gospels, besides taking in the details of the parable or factual event, we should pay close attention to what the disciples are doing. Are they on the periphery, watching and listening? Are they questioning Jesus? Are they sharing in the action? Most importantly, what are they learning? They represent us today. What they saw and experienced is what we are supposed to absorb. We need to understand their apprehension as well as their wonder, their hesitation as well as their courage. The disciples wanted to send the people away, and make them responsible for their own food. A natural response when the task seemed beyond their comfortable capacity to respond to the problem. They were still an inward-looking group, unable to move outside their own, self-contained little world, even though they were centered on Christ. They were looking to him, as usual, to deal with the tough stuff, and Christ's answer to this was significant and astonishing: Feed them yourselves.

 

They said this was impossible and quite beyond their powers and their means; all they had was five loaves and two fish.

 

So, once again it was up to him to show and teach them. he took the little food they had, made a ritual blessing, and told the disciples to distribute it among the people. The disciples did so, moving among the people and feeding them. All were fed, with much left over. The disciples thus became instrumental in the saving work of Christ; the disciples, the learners, had received a valuable and significant lesson in discipleship, the following of Christ; that the mission of Christ was to all who hear and follow him, not to a select few.

 

Sometimes when we pray for divine intervention, God's answer to us is, "But you, you can do that yourselves." This is what we see in today's gospel where the disciples are so concerned about the hungry crowd that they instruct Jesus to dismiss them so that they could go and buy themselves something to eat. Jesus turns and says to them, "Hey, you give them something to eat. You can take care of that yourselves." Only then do they remember the seemingly insignificant person with five loaves and two fish. Suddenly, to their surprise, there was more than enough to satisfy the enormous hunger of all the people. That is the essence of what we traditionally know as the miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. But it is more significantly, the increase in the awareness of what can be done by the collection of individuals who can make great things happen when they cooperate for the good of all.

 

Teresa of Avila, great Spanish Carmelite mystic and saint of the sixteenth century said: 'We cannot be sure if we are loving God, but we can know quite well if we are loving our neighbour. And be certain that, the farther advanced you find you are in this, the greater the love you will have for God.'

 

This insight from Teresa and the subtext of this gospel event is at the very heart of the hope we have as a Eucharistic community Whenever the Church gathers round the altar at Mass, it hears the word of God, the word of life, and shares in the sacramental body of Christ, All are fed from the same source, there is a communion, all become one in Christ.

 

 Christ established a clear association between word and food; both are life-giving, both are necessary. In this passage we can glimpse, for a brief moment, a church, an assembly gathered around Christ, hearing the word of life, and receiving the food of life. All heard the same word, all received the same food. There was a communion. This was one of the things the apostles and disciples had to learn. The feeding of the 5000 is intimately linked to the institution of the Eucharist. Most telling is the use of the same verbs to describe what Jesus does in the miracle: he takes, blesses, breaks and gives. Just as he will do again at the Last Supper and just as we do in the Eucharist.

 

In the Eucharist we are both the ones who are fed and the ones who must enable Christ's nourishment to reach others. If we can access this food, like the 5000, we will eat our fill, and yet there will be plenty left over. The task for us, like to disciples seems initially impossible, but as the prayer of Saint Oscar Romero encourages us:

 

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

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References:
Homily:  Fr Peter Dillon

 

Prologue: Fr Paul W. Kelly

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed image stock photo ID:  ID: 1184313556. Biblical vector illustration series, Jesus feeds the five thousand. By rudall30


Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, August 2, 2020) (EPISODE: 243 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{Peace and greetings to you all.}}

 

My friends in Christ, to worthily celebratethe sacred mysteries, let us first acknowledge our sins.
Lord Jesus, you were lifted up to draw all people to yourself: Lord, have mercy//You shouldered the cross, to bear our suffering and sinfulness: Christ, have mercy// You open for your people the way from death into life: Lord, have mercy//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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PREFACE:  Sunday  I
Euch prayer III
Communion side. pwk: RH

(OPENING THEME VARIATION:  2)
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{{May God's love, strength, mercy and kindness guide you all this week.}}


Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

 

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. 

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray," by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The ….Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

 

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement Stefan Kelk 2020.

- "Today I Arise" - For Tricia J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. 

May God bless and keep you. 
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