July 25, 2021 - The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July25,2021
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Starting this Sunday and continuing through Sunday, August 22 (except for the Assumption on August 15 with the Gospel of St. Luke) the Church puts aside its presentation of the Gospel of St. Mark to have us consider chapter 6 in the Gospel of St. John. As Catholics we treasure this section of the Gospel of St. John as the “Bread of Life” discourse of the Lord. Here we find deep insights into the meaning of the Holy Eucharist through which Jesus remains present throughout the centuries to build up His Church as He feeds our souls with His own most precious Body and Blood. This would be a turning point in His ministry. Those who would reject Him would not accept His Eucharistic doctrine.
As one would expect, Jesus began to foreshadow the sublime doctrine on the Holy Eucharist with a miracle. This was not only to show His Divine nature and authority, but to start at a point we can grasp. The multiplication of the loaves and fish served a great need. The people were hungry and there was no food readily available. We are not just souls. We have bodies that are material and have physical needs. To live we must eat and drink. In the miracle Jesus shows that He has the power to provide for our physical requirements. Yet there must be much more. Perhaps the people recalled how God rained down manna from heaven upon their fore fathers when they wandered through the desert at the time of Moses. Hunger is basic and recalls all of our hungers, especially for love. We are very needy and God knows that. He sent His Son to fulfill our most fundamental needs, in particular those deepest in our hearts, at the depth of our souls.
In the miracles, actions, words of Our Lord there is an inexhaustible source to draw from in order to live our daily Christian lives. Clearly we are vulnerable and limited. We can achieve very little on our own. We need God to step in where we are weak and helpless. We have only the few buns and fish that make up who we are. Not much more. Jesus meets us where we are and then lifts us up. Through Him we can face our fears and have our needs met. By His grace we are transformed to become more like God. We become God’s beloved sons and daughters. Jesus offers Himself to us as best friend that we may never be alone. His goodness to us far exceeds our limited human desires and wants. This becomes clearer in the conversation Jesus has with us in John 6.
Yours in our Lord and our Lady, Fr. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor