Greetings on this the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; PS Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21;
Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32; Jn 6:60-69
Notes: For readers of my blog you know this is the fifth week of the treatment of the Bread of Life discourse. For five weeks including today, we are asked to consider the depths of love as Jesus offers his body and blood as sacrifice and food.
- Elisha – 20 barley loaves feeds 100 soldiers
- Moses – bread and quail provided by the Lord.
- Elijah – Food and water given by an Angel of the Lord.
- Blessed Mother – the Ark of the New Covenant.
- Joshua – leads the people on the journey of life in faith.
All of them point to Jesus.
Example, the Ark of the Old Covenant contained:
- the Law or Tablets.
- the Omar of Manna.
- the flinty rock.
- Aaron’s staff.
The Ark of the New Covenant which is the Blessed Mother who bore her Son:
- the Word made flesh.
- the Bread of Life.
- the Living Water.
- the priesthood of Aaron and the miraculous power of Aaron’s staff.
First reading
As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua recalls the great signs the Lord performed for the people and asks the people to recall these things too. Who then shall we follow? Who then shall we respect and obey?
As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
I want to make something clear.
You are human and in the course of your life there is brokenness and broken heartedness. You are human and sometimes the difficulties of life can crush us. Seemingly crush the very life out of us.
But know this.
It does not matter your religion, beliefs or morals.
Actually, in his love for you, none of that prevents him doing what he will always do.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
He will always attend to you as his child.
But this is the baseline of his love.
It is his minimum to attend to you.
He wants to have Eucharistic joy with you.
He want you to feast on the banquet of his love in his person.
Second reading
Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.
This second reading, subject of much debate can be understood in its simipilist form.
Adam did not know who he was until Eve.
Alas, flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone.
Here is the intimation that is sometimes missed.
We are called to discover ourselves in him.
Alas, my Eucharistic joy.
Alleluia Verse
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
Gospel Portion
Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Doubt about Jesus is a real problem. Then and now.
Jesus said to them, What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending
to where he was before?
For those familiar with the Ascension of the Lord which occurs after the Resurrection, you know he was predicting his own Ascension into Heaven as an additional proof of the Bread of Life discourse.
The gospel of John makes use of the seven signs of Jesus.
The bread of Life discourse follows signs four and five.
- Multiplication of the loaves.
- Walking on Water.
After the Bread of Life discourse Simon Peter declares:
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
- After the seventh sign, the Raising of Lazarus, Martha affirms the coming Resurrection at the end of the Ages. Then,
She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
All of these precede the Last Supper Discourse.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry
Deacon Gerry Palermo 