“The hand of the Lord feeds us, he answers all our needs.”
This
week we begin a four-week section from the Gospel of John chapter six. This chapter contains the Bread of Life
discourse and is one of the most important texts for our belief in Jesus’ real
presence in the Eucharist. It is a
chapter Catholics should know and I encourage you to read this chapter in full
at some point over the next few weeks.
There
are many parallels between the beginning section of John six and the narrative
from 2 Kings. Each contains a
hungry crowd that needs to be fed.
In both barley loaves are presented. Doubt then follows as Elisha’s servant and Andrew ask the
same question—“What good is this among so many?” Yet in both accounts the crowds are fed by God, revealing
that God, that Jesus, can take what little we offer and multiply it abundantly. The last similarity is that the crowds
are not only fed, but also there is a surplus. God does not settle for the minimum…He lavishes His
generosity upon us.
The
connections between the first reading from 2nd Kings and John 6 are
a great illustration of an important piece of reading the Bible: “The New
Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old is fulfilled in the New.” Another way to say this is, everything
in the Old Testament points to Jesus.
At times this might be difficult to see as we 21st century
westerners read about various wars, violence and a bloody sacrificial system
but the fact is the Old Testament always points to Jesus.
This
can be seen in noting all the events in the Old Testament that point to Jesus
in the Eucharist. Now, I will be
going through a few names and events rather quickly, so feel free to take
notes. Just know there will not be
a quiz after Mass!
Our
first hint of the Eucharist in the Old Testament comes in the first chapters of
Genesis. In Genesis 14, we hear of
a priest-king named Melchizedek.
This man is a mystery as we know almost nothing about him. What we do know is he lived during the
time of Abraham and offered Abraham and God bread and wine. Bread and wine…the same elements we use
at Mass.
Speaking
of Abraham, recall Abraham’s great test—to sacrifice his son. Abraham passed this test and Isaac was
spared when an angel called out, “Abraham, do not lay a hand on the boy.” Earlier Abraham had told Isaac, “God
himself will provide the lamb for the offering.” The lamb for the offering. At each Mass, remember what the priest says as he raises the
chalice and host—“Behold, the Lamb of God…”
Speaking
of Lamb, think back on the Passover, where a lamb was slaughtered and eaten so
the Israelites could be spared from death. They took part in this feast on the eve of their exodus and
freedom from the foreign rule of Egypt.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, was slaughtered on the cross and allows us to
eat of His Body and drink of His Blood so that we may be spared from death. We are now free from the just
consequences of sin, provided we are faithful to eating of the Lamb.
Finally,
we have manna. Manna was the bread
of the angels that was rained down from heaven as the Israelites wandered in
the desert. And what is the
Eucharist if not the true bread from heaven that feeds us as we wander through
life. It is the Eucharist that
feeds us spiritually as we sojourn through this world.
John
6 involves Jesus coming into the scene.
This same Jesus who was born in the city of Bethlehem which means “house
of bread”. This same Jesus who was
announced by John the Baptist, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the
sins of the world.” This same
Jesus who forgave sins, cured the sick and brought in the outcast. This same Jesus who shed His Body and
His Blood on the cross for us.
This same Jesus gives us this same Body and Blood at Mass.
In
giving His life to us, Jesus gave life.
As we receive the Eucharist once more, we receive life. May we in turn give life to our
neighbor as we live out the next week.
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