19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: 1Kings19:4-8, John 6:41-51

I Give Up!

The Judaean Desert

Maybe it was the sudden death of a parent or child!  Maybe it was a financial crisis, loss of job or an unexpected repair that completely wiped out what little savings you had.  Maybe it was the breakup of a close relationship, even a marriage.  Maybe it was a debilitating illness that left you unable to do even the simplest of tasks.  Maybe it was a weak moment when you stumbled.  Or maybe it was a fall from a great moral height when you fell hard and deep into that seemingly inescapable pit of despair.  A night so dark we felt we couldn’t forgive ourselves much less accept forgiveness from others.

And we decided to give up!  We surrender to our fate!  We expected that this was the end of our life and we would not see the beginning of another day!

Haven’t we all been there at some point in our lives?  Whether it was ourseIves or someone near and dear to us, we know that feeling!  I give up!  I give in!  There is no surviving this moment!

This certainly seems to be where the Prophet Elijah is at in today’s first reading from 1 Kings!  He has already confronted the priests of Baal in a test of faith and bested them; afterwards he has them all put to death.  This angered Queen Jezebel and she wants to put him to death.  Elijah flees into the desert and, in despair, he prays for death.  Convinced that he has failed, he gives up!  So he lays down under a tree and waits to die! 

But God had other plans!  He sends an angel to rouse Elijah from his depression and nourish him with bread and water.  Notice that it takes the angel 2 attempts to fully get Elijah on his feet.  How many times does it take us to not merely hear God’s call but to actually respond to it! So fed a second time, Elijah gets up energized and restored and he returns to his prophetic mission, walking for 40 days to the mountain of God.

Up until Covid hit, our parish would hold Coffee/Donut Sundays once a month at all our Sunday Masses.  It was a chance to informally gather after Mass and share fellowship.  It was a simple opportunity to pause before heading home and converse with each other.  Simple basic food!  But it was enough to sustain us for our journey home from church. 

God gave Elijah simple bread and water, food for the body, food for his journey to Mt. Horeb! But what about us?  What about those days, what about every day, when we are in need of spiritual food?  The answer to that is in today’s Gospel!  “I am the Bread of Life, 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.”

Food for our journey, for our spiritual journey, food that refreshes our soul and strengthens our faith!  Food that lasts not a mere 40 days but for life unending!  Food that reminds us that, even in the darkest of times, when all seems hopeless, when we are lost in the desert!  We are not alone!  A reminder that God is always with us.  That He feeds us with His Body and Blood.  And no matter where we are or what situation we are in, He sends us forth from that place nourished in our faith and strengthened for the journey ahead!

As tasty and as filling as coffee and donuts are, they really only satisfy us until we get home from Mass.  The real food, the real spiritual food, is what we received at Mass itself, the Body and Blood of Christ.  And that will sustain us on our entire journey home to the Kingdom of God.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Sunday – 13 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 10:37-42 The Cost/Rewards of Discipleship Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem I’m holding in my hand a simple piece of paper, barely bigger than an index card.   It’s a mini-golf scorecard and it’s 47 years old.   At the time, the game itself probably cost only about $6.   Certainly a lot less than you would pay today.   So the cost today doesn’t seem like much.   But for me all that time ago, it was a wealth of money.   So it cost me a lot.   But the rewards of the card?   Well, that is priceless.   This was one of the first dates Ginger and I went on.   And who would have guessed how that would turn out?   All the memories we have shared, painful and joyful.   All the times we have shared together and the people who have touched our lives!   Priceless! Cost and reward!   Two vastly different concepts but they play a key role in all of today’s readings.   In the first reading, a rich woman goes out of her way t
Read more
Image
  14 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 11:25-30 The “Little Ones” Open Market, Jerusalem There’s a story about a rather eccentric teacher who was always looking for creative ways to test (torture) his students.   Sometimes it was crazy project and sometimes it was a wacky exam that tested not just their knowledge but also their experience. So one day he hands out a test, typical normal test, Q/A, except this was the last question.   What’s the name of the school janitor?   One of his students looked at the question and thought – I know he’s short, wears glasses and has light brown hair but how in the world would I know his name?   So he left it blank and turned in his paper. When class was over, he went up to the teacher and asked whether that last question would count in the test grade.   Absolutely, said the teacher.   Throughout your whole life, you will find that every person you cross paths with is important, significant.   They deserve you
Read more
Image
  16 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 13:24-30 Be Patient, My Child Tied Up in Knots! Many years ago, I remember one summer when it was time for our daughter Jaime to learn how to ride a bicycle.   So I took off the training wheels, she climbed onto the bike and proceeded to take off.   I followed close behind, holding onto the back bumper, trying to keep the bike upright and trying to make sure she didn’t fall.   It was exhausting for both of us.   I thought I was being a good dad by doing everything I could to keep her from falling.   But it didn’t work.   We were both getting frustrated.   Finally, she had had enough and she banished me to sit on the front porch while she worked it out on her own.   It took time and it took a lot of patience, something neither one of us had much of at the start of the process. I was getting impatient with the process and she was getting impatient with me.   Patience was in short supply.   But in the end, patience w
Read more