Fourteenth Sunday in ordinary time

07/03/2022  |  From the Clergy

Last Sunday, June 19, Catholic Christians celebrated the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. The biblical text has been taken from Luke 9,11b-17. The scene is very eloquent, clear and precise. He presents us with two very significant postures, the first, that of the followers of Jesus (Apostles/ disciples) and the second that of the Lord himself. Let's see.

“Dismiss”, is the verb that stands out. There is no way to provide lodging and food. Two great (Basic) needs of every human being, including animals. Who among us has not been concerned with satisfying the need for room/accommodation and food? How to survive in the face of helplessness and hunger? Currently we see and hear in the news, reports and analysis on the situation of men/women who are forced to seek a better place and livelihood for their lives.

Improving the living conditions of so many brothers is the second position, that of Jesus. The exhortation of the teacher from Galilee is very striking when he says: "You give them something to eat." What is Jesus pointing to when he tells us that? Who is responsible for fulfilling such a mandate? The answer is very simple: EVERYONE.

Our religious experience, of faith; it should be redirected towards what Jesus Christ himself asks. A Eucharist without bread for others is empty and ineffective. The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians brings some words from Jesus himself: “This is my body that is given for you; do this in memory of me” (1 Co 11,24) Jesus becomes broken and distributed bread.

Remembering him is: Not forgetting who Jesus was and what he did for his brothers and sisters who are most in need. The key to living the Eucharist, more than a simple ritual/worship, is to be like Jesus himself and do what he did: BE BREAD/FOOD/ LIFE for others.

Today, there are many marginalized and hungry. You as a Christian, do you want to remember Jesus?