Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This is the real story of a 16 year old teenager in Dublin named Jamie Harrington. Recently, Jamie Harrington was on his way to an American sweetshop, when he saw a man in his 30’s sitting on the ledge of a bridge. “Wow...” Jamie said to himself. And then he walked up to man and simply said three words, “Are you okay?” Even though the man said that he was, Jamie knew from the tears in his eyes that he was not. So he sat and talked to the man for 45 minutes and then finally convinced him to call an ambulance. That day, Jaime saved the life of a man who was ready to jump into the river. Three months later, Jaime got a phone call. It was the man whose life he had saved. His wife was pregnant and they have decided to name their child Jaime. “Are you okay?” It took only three words to give hope to somebody.
We are continuing our reflection on the bread of life discourse in the gospel of John. I am approaching the bread of life discourse from the perspective of hope. Here are my three points.
1.What makes someone say, “This is enough, O Lord! Take my life…!” This is Elijah’s prayer in today’s first reading. The reason for Elijah’s despair was his intense struggle with King Ahab. Ahab’s wife Jezebel was a non-Israelite. She brought along with her, her deity, Baal. Not only did Ahaz engage in Baal Worship but also consulted with Baal’s false prophets. When Elijah opposed this, Jezebel threatened his life. Weary of the struggle, Elijah fled. Weary from the journey he took refuge under a broom tree and prayed, “This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” I am very grateful that I have never gotten weary enough to wish that I would die. But I know people who have and I also know people who have taken their own life – soldiers returning from war, migrants trying to escape violence and poverty, families burdened with debt, children who have lived their entire lives in foster homes, people battling addiction and depression, unemployed and underemployed people, victims of violence and war, the ill and the aged, people weary with sin. Despair is real. As the weary Elijah fell asleep that day, an angel came to him twice to encourage him to consume the food and water that the angel had provided. And therein is the hope. God’s intervention in Elijah’s life says to us that God does not want us to lose hope. God does not want to let our weariness overwhelm us. The bread and water that Elijah ate gave him strength to walk forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God in Horeb. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus goes further. He says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The bread that we receive in the Eucharist takes us all the way to eternity.
2.My second point is a continuation of my first point. In Jesus’ bread of life discourse, Jesus s says, “The bread that I will give,” Jesus says, “is my flesh for the life of the world.” In other words, humanity’s hope is not empty words, but rather, it is God’s self-gift. God’s gift is literally the gift of the self. Before his death, Jesus took bread and wine and said, “This is my body; this is my blood.” And then he said, “Do this in memory of me.” And then, on the cross, taking upon himself the weariness of humanity, he gave us hope. “The bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world.” Almost sixty years later, John would try to convince his audience that God’s gift is really a self-gift. God did not give us something. God gave us ‘somebody.’ God gave us Jesus’ enduring presence. Jesus hope-giving action on the cross is preserved forever in the Eucharist. In other words, the Eucharist is the sacrament of hope. The Eucharist is like a oasis in the desert. In our very wearisome world, the Eucharist provides for us an opportunity to tap into hope. The Eucharist is our enduring hope from now unto eternity.
3.Today’s second reading is only superficially connected to the first and gospel readings. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul intends to give instruction about how those joined to the church by Baptism are to conduct themselves. So he says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” But the greatest advice he gives to the Ephesians is, “So be imitators of God….” The best practical implication that today’s scripture gives us to imitate Christ. In other words, in the same way that Jesus offered hope to us, now we must do for one another. I think that is what Jaime was doing. Three simple words spoken with care save a life that day. I think that is what we can do this week. Even if we are the weary ones, imitating Jesus, giving hope to someone. Like Jesus, in giving hope to other we can ourselves find hope.
Fr. Satish Joseph