Readings
for
3 August 2003
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Today's First Reading is from The Book of Exodus, beginning at the 16th
Chapter and the 2nd Verse (Ex
16:2-4, 12-15)
And the whole congregation of the people of
Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and said to
them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in
the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the
full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this
whole assembly with hunger." Then the LORD said to
Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people
shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove
them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
"I have heard the murmurings of the people of
Israel; say to them, `At
twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled
with bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'" In
the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew
lay round about the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was
on the face of the wilderness a
fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the
people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is
it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is
the bread which the LORD has given you to eat."
Today's Song of Praise is taken from Psalm 78: (Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54):
R The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
What we have heard and know,
and what our fathers have declared to us,
We will declare to the generation to come
the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength
and the wonders that he wrought.
R The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
He commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven;
he rained manna upon them for food
and gave them heavenly bread.
R The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Man ate the bread of angels,
food he sent them in abundance.
And he brought them to his holy land,
to the mountains his right hand had won.
R The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Today's Epistle is from the First Letter of Paul to the
Ephesians, beginning at the 4th Chapter, and the 17th Verse (Eph 4:17, 20-24):
Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you
must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds;
You did not so learn Christ! -- assuming that you
have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in
Jesus. Put off your old nature which belongs to your former
manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed
in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created
after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
A Reading from the Gospel of John, beginning at the 6th Chapter, and
the 24th Verse (Jn 6:24-35):
So when the people saw that Jesus
was not there, nor his disciples,
they themselves got into the boats and went to Caper'na-um, seeking
Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to
him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"
Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you seek me, not
because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the
loaves.
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which
endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on
him has God the Father set his seal." Then they said to him,
"What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered
them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has
sent." So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we
may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers
ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread
from heaven to eat.'"
Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses
who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread
from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from
heaven, and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Lord,
give us this bread always."
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall
not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."
Sermon
for
3 August 2003
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Today's readings talk abut the Bread of Life --
literal bread in the case of the Manna that fed the Israelites in the
desert, and the equally real, but higher level Bread that is
Christ himself, and the Word of His Father.
Israel was in a bad way, about half way through the
desert of Sinai -- the provisions they had brought out of Egypt were
eaten up. Hunger and thirst were beginning to take their toll --
people were beginning to grumble that it would be better to be well-fed
slaves than free to starve.
The Lord heard the grumblings of Israel, however --
and sent quail in the evening, that they might have flesh to eat, and
manna in the morining, that they might have bread. Thus did He
seal Israel to Himself, providing for them in their hour of need, and
turning their hearts to Him.
Similarly, in today's Gospel, Jesus has just fed the
five thousand from five loaves and a few fishes, and is across the Sea
of
Galilee when they catch up with him. He is a wonder-worker, and
like everyone, they are hungry for wonders.
But Our Lord rebukes them -- "Do not labor for food
that perishes", he says -- for material things and cheap wonders.
We are to seek the true Bread of Life -- the Word of God, who was in
the Beginning with God -- Christ Himself
"I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall
not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." We
receive this eternal Bread, both in the Eucharist we celebrate, and in
the spoken and written word -- today's Readings.
Let us then sing, with the Psalmist:
What we have heard and know,
and what our fathers have
declared to us,
We will declare to the generation
to come
the glorious deeds of the Lord
and his strength
and the wonders that he wrought.
The Lord
gave us bread from heaven.
Let us then praise Him, and do his work . . .
In the Name of the Father +
And of the Son +
And of the Holy Spirit +
Amen.
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