{"id":806,"date":"2012-08-27T08:13:40","date_gmt":"2012-08-27T12:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=806"},"modified":"2012-08-27T08:13:40","modified_gmt":"2012-08-27T12:13:40","slug":"homilies-on-the-bread-of-life-discourse-5-of-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/homilies-on-the-bread-of-life-discourse-5-of-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Homilies on the Bread of Life Discourse #5 of 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B<\/a>
\nJoshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b
\nEphesians 5:21-32
\nJohn 6:60-69
\nAugust 26, 2012<\/p>\n

During the past four weeks, we have heard that Jesus fed 5,000 people with just five barley loaves and two fish.\u00a0 He has spoken of himself both as \u201cThe Bread of Life\u201d and \u201cThe Bread that came down from Heaven.\u201d\u00a0 He has told the people that if they eat of the bread of which he speaks, they will not die.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The people (understandably) were having a hard time with this.\u00a0 Then, last week, we heard Jesus tell the people that they must \u201ceat his flesh\u201d and \u201cdrink his blood.\u201d\u00a0 To this, we hear the disciples reply this week, \u201cThis saying is hard, who can accept it?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

To eat his flesh and drink his blood is indeed a hard saying to accept.\u00a0 In human terms, it seems awful.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perhaps, though, with their response of \u201cthis saying is hard\u201d they were hoping that Jesus would explain what he really meant when he said these or that he \u201cmight soften the blow\u201d.<\/p>\n

He did not.\u00a0 Instead he asked if they were shocked.\u00a0 Then he adds what would they think if they were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he came from.<\/p>\n

Of course, this is a reference to his coming Ascension and Resurrection and the \u2018where he came from\u2019 points to him saying that he is the bread that came down from heaven.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, in a way, he just makes even more difficult for them to understand and accept.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How hard is it for us to accept this message?<\/p>\n

Do we believe that Jesus feed 5,000 people with just five barley loaves and two fish?<\/p>\n

Do we believe that Jesus is the Bread of Life?<\/p>\n

Do we believe that Jesus is the bread that came down from Heaven?<\/p>\n

To add more:<\/p>\n

Do we believe that Jesus was willingly crucified for us so our sins could be forgiven?<\/p>\n

Do we believe in the Resurrection?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lot to believe in right?\u00a0 And none of it can be proven & explained in human terms.\u00a0 History might document the feeding of 5,000 and that a man named Jesus was crucified but human history does not explain it but in faith we believe.<\/p>\n

Do we question?\u00a0 Is it wrong to question?\u00a0 Is it a sin to doubt?<\/p>\n

At the end of this, many of the disciples \u201creturned to their former way of life\u201d because they could not understand.\u00a0 When they left, Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked them \u201cDo you also want to leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon Peter responds \u201cMaster, to whom shall we go?\u00a0 You have the words of eternal life?\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter does not say that they understand everything.\u00a0 He does not say they find what Jesus said easy to believe.\u00a0 He does not say their faith is perfect.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But because they believe, Peter knows that they believe in Jesus, that he has the words of eternal life.\u00a0 Where else would they possibly want to go?<\/p>\n

In the first reading from the Book of Joshua, the people renew their commitment to the Lord, the same commitment they had already made through Moses at Mount Sinai.\u00a0 But they had doubted and so renew their commitment through Joshua.\u00a0 They will doubt and fail again.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Jesus came!<\/p>\n

At the Annunciation, even Mary did not understand how she could be pregnant but when told it was by God\u2019s power, she believed.<\/p>\n

My understanding is not perfect.\u00a0 I cannot explain everything that we profess in our faith.\u00a0 But I can and do believe.<\/p>\n

I might ask if you understand all that happens with Jesus but I will not.\u00a0 But I do encourage you to ask yourselves do you believe in Jesus?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019re here aren\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

May we all think like Peter and say \u201cMaster, to whom shall we go?\u00a0 You have the words of eternal life?\u00a0 We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b Ephesians 5:21-32 John 6:60-69 August 26, 2012 During the past four weeks, we have heard that Jesus fed 5,000 people with just five barley loaves and two fish.\u00a0 He has spoken of himself both as \u201cThe Bread of Life\u201d and \u201cThe Bread that came …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Homilies on the Bread of Life Discourse #5 of 5’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[104,82],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMTPk-d0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":807,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions\/807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}