The Bread of Life: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

As we continue to walk through John 6, a few thoughts to begin

First, after my stroke three years ago, this is about three years ago that I again could receive the Eucharist from Fr. Rich Kunst…the next day was my first time to concelebrate with Mass

·     Fr. Rich said, Ben, put on your stole as you are still a priest.

Second, another great connection between the Old and New Testament

·     Elijah was resting…touched by an angel, and given bread and water

·     Not once, but twice

·     “After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
"Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!" 
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.”

Third, people murmured after Jesus said, “I am the bread of life”

·     And it just gets deeper

·     "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,and I will raise him on the last day…Amen, amen, I say to you,whoever believes has eternal life.  I am the bread of life.”

·     Their ancestors died, even eating God’s bread—manna—for forty years

·     As Jesus went deeper and deeper he said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven;whoever eats this bread will live forever;and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The dichotomy today is, do you believe in the bread of life, or not?