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A LONGING FOR FULFILLMENT
For Sunday, August 1, 2021Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
John 6:24-35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35)
How many times do you use or hear the word “want” during the day? What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want for dinner? I want to watch something else. Where do you want to be in 25 years?
We live in a culture that is governed by wants. Sadly, this endless desire for more is only intensified by countless advertising campaigns and the belief that the only things worth having are those that are new and novel.
As we continue our reading of the sixth chapter of John’s gospel this Sunday, we get a sense that this was also the perspective of the crowds who had gathered around Jesus after he fed a great number with only a few loaves and fish. “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.’” Even though Jesus had satisfied their physical hunger, they still wanted more.
Like so many people in our world today, the crowd that day was really only looking for something perishable, for temporary satisfaction to an immediate want. Whether this was an opportunity to see Jesus perform another miracle — or because they were hoping for more to eat than just bread and fish — they were hoping for something else. They wanted just one more thing.
St. John tells us, however, that Jesus recognized their misguided desires and reminded them — and us — that if we are to be truly filled (and fulfilled), we have to recognize and honor those hungers, hopes, and needs that are deep within us. We must recognize, in a special way, that common and very human need to be known and loved. These are the hungers and needs that Jesus addresses in this Gospel passage when he says to the crowds, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
No amount of money, power, influence, sex, or material goods can ever bring true satisfaction and fulfillment. However much we might have in life, those fundamental desires that are deep within us will never be satisfied without the love of God and the care and support of a community. Pope Francis spoke to this when he reflected:
“[The crowd] had given more meaning to that bread than to its donor. God himself is both the gift and the giver. Thus from that bread, from that gesture, the people can find the One who gives it, who is God. He invites them to open up to a perspective which is not only that of the daily need to eat, dress, achieve success, build a career. Jesus speaks of another food. He speaks of a food which is incorruptible and which is good to seek and gather… That is to say, to seek salvation, the encounter with God.”
In the end, we know that only God can truly provide the nourishment and fulfillment that will bring us lasting peace and joy and that will satisfy these deeply rooted needs and desires. But we also recognize that we have been given the great gifts of the Scriptures and the Eucharist — the Bread of Life — to nourish and strengthen us as we journey through life.
As Pope Benedict XVI reminded the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean in 2007, “Every Eucharist is a personal encounter with Christ. Listening to God’s word, our hearts burn because it is he who is explaining and proclaiming it. When we break the bread at the Eucharist, it is he whom we receive personally.”
To receive the Eucharist is not to get something but to encounter someone. Because in the Eucharist, we enter into a communion with Jesus himself. It is in this communion that the deepest desires and longings of our hearts find lasting fulfillment.
Br. Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
PRAYER
Draw near to your servants, O Lord,
and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness,
that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide,
you may restore what you have created
and keep safe what you have restored.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
READINGS FOR AUGUST 1, 2021
18th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
1st Reading—Exodus 16: 2-4, 12-15— In the desert of Israelites grumbled against Moses because they were hungry. The Lord sent down quail and bread for them to eat. By this, Israel came to know the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm: 78: 3-4, 23-24, 25, 54— “The Lord gave them bread from heaven.”
2nd Reading—Ephesians 4: 17, 20-24—Paul told the Ephesians they could not continue to live as pagans did. As followers of Christ they were to lay aside their old selves and “put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.”
Gospel Acclamation—Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! “ One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Gospel—John 6: 24-35—The crowd followed Jesus to Capernaum because he had given them bread to eat. Jesus told them instead to seek the food of eternal life. He said that he is “the bread of life.”
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
18TH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR - B – AUGUST 1, 2021
1) Let us pray for the Church:
God, who gives bread from heaven, bless your chosen people.
Help us to work for food that remains unto life eternal.
2) Let us pray for the nations:
God of the universe, you fashion people in your own likeness.
May we lay aside hatred and seek justice and peace for all.
3) Let us pray for the hungry of our world:
Jesus, you fed the multitude with your compassionate love.
Help us share our bread and friendship with the poor.
4) Let us pray for the sick:
Lord, heal and comfort those who are suffering from emotional or
physical pain, especially --
Dorothy Massy Betty Morici Reagan Bahling Marge Flanigan
Jim Gromek Rod Mersino Diane Naren Elaine Corkins
Joan Ball Emma Jane Reed Vince Bland Sue Bruggeman
Jerry Bellefeuille
And all who have asked for our prayers.
5) Let us remember the dead:
May our beloved dead never hunger or thirst again.
Open the doors of heaven for those created in your image,
especially –
(5:00 Mass) Frederick & Carol Andre, Fr. John Hardy
(8:30 Mass) Earl Muhleck, Lee Ball, Fr. John Hardy
(10:30 Mass) Dot Tebelman, Fr. John Hardy
6) Let us pray for our own personal needs in a moment of silence:
God of life and love, we thank you for the gift of the Eucharist.
Keep us mindful that we are the body of Christ.
We pray to the Lord…
ANNOUNCEMENTS—August 1, 2021
- We are collecting school supplies. Please pick up a list of needed items near the OCEF food basket. We thank you for your generosity.
- Please stop in the courtyard after Mass for Frank’s Farm Market, the Knights of Columbus will be happy to assist you. A free will donation is greatly appreciated.
- All 8th through 12th graders, Our Youth Minister Kim has scheduled a fun day at Clintonwood Park on Tuesday, August 10th from 5-8 p.m. dinner, drinks are provided, games and fellowship. This is a great way to get to know each other. Please RSVP to Kim. See the bulletin under Youth Ministry for more information.
- Next Saturday we will have our potluck dinner after the 5 p.m. Mass.
- (Sunday) Please join us in Hardy Hall for coffee, donuts and fellowship.