Homily: Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (John 6:24-35) “What’s This?”
Every person is made up of three parts: the physical, the psychological and the spiritual. We have needs in all three areas. We know how we can satisfy physical hunger. We also know that we need intimacy to be mentally healthy. But what do we need for our spiritual wellbeing?
Coming to a sense of spiritual health seems complicated, for it is about the supernatural. We are on a journey to find what gives meaning to life. Being spiritual seekers is a good thing, but is our spirituality about moving from one mountain top experience to the next? We often hear people say, “I stopped going to church because I was no longer being fed there”. By being fed, does that mean being uplifted at every moment?
Is the spiritual life about constantly being on spiritual high? If so, no religion is ever going satisfy. It might be more about finding a place to call home. Maybe it is about planting roots and finding sustenance where we are.
We all have seen the movie the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy, in a sense, goes on a spiritual quest. She is dissatisfied with her life in Kansas. She feels ignored and unappreciated. She runs away from home because she feels misunderstood. But as she has her adventure in Oz, she realizes that she would rather be home.
She doesn’t know what she wants until she loses it. The dangers she encounters in the fantasy world she inhabits makes her think again about what is most important. Her quest leads to the understanding that the dull life she lived on the farm doesn’t seem so bad. She has a security there provided by her aunt and uncle and there is a predictability that anchors her life.
We could say that the Israelites who wander through the desert in the Book of Exodus are on a spiritual search. The desert is a difficult place to exist. The people of God start to reminisce about their life back in Egypt. The tough existence they had as slaves is forgotten. The simple food they had as slaves began to be remembered as a wonderful banquet. The people began to doubt their call to be God’s chosen people. We are told they even think they have been brought to the desert to die.
And then Mana is reigned down from heaven. Mana is a mysterious food in many ways. Mana is a word that literally means, “What’s this?” The Mana is a food that comes with many spiritual lessons. The food seems simple enough. The people go out every morning to find flakes like frost on the ground. When they pick it up and roll these flakes together, they can bake them into a bread that sustains them.
If they try to add things to the mana to make it better than it is the taste becomes bitter. In contrast, if they eat it as is it is sweet and tasty. If the Israelites gather too much of the bread, trying to save a lot to use from day to day, it rots on the spot.
The spiritual lesson that comes with the mana is that God wants his people to depend on him for daily sustenance. God’s people aren’t to look over the horizon worrying about the long term. No, they are to live in the moment, trusting God.
Jesus reminds us in his Bread of Life discourse that this is the way to spiritual stability in our life. We must understand that God can nourish us from day to day if we allow this to happen.
We might say that this is why Catholics have the practice of daily Mass. Roman Catholics believe the Eucharist is our mana for the journey. When we participate in daily Eucharist, we are saying, “I believe God’s nourishment will sustain me this day”. The practice of daily Mass might not seem all that exciting, but there is a familiarity that can uplift our life. The mana, that is Eucharist, does not depend on the dynamism of the priest. No, the Eucharist has a sweetness all its own.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. My bread is superior to what the Israelites received in the desert, but it is the same in that it is a daily reminder that I am with you.” One of the spiritual practices that has fallen off in the last year and a half is daily Mass. We might still be hesitant to partake, but usually it is a very safe activity. People can spread out and take other precautions at daily Mass. The spiritual benefit is that we are put in touch God’s care for us in Christ every day. We can never be reminded too much that God wants to give us what we need for the journey.
Reflection Questions:
- How do I know I am in a good place spiritually? How do I feel at such times?
- What do I do to nourish my spiritual life every day? What is it that I need?
Dear Parishioners,
I am sure there are many questions that we all have regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. As a pastor, it is a great challenge to try to keep up on all the latest information. Some concerning news that I have heard is that those who are vaccinated can carry the virus and spread it. Another disturbing piece of news is that the Delta variant can spread to other people in as little as one minute. It does not take 15 minutes as with the original strand of the virus. People who are unvaccinated are much more in danger of hospitalization and death than those who are unvaccinated.
What does all this mean regarding our parish activities? What it means is that it would be safest if we all would wear masks when we gather indoors. At this point, we will probably not be requiring people to wear masks, but it seems like if some people do, and some don’t, the benefits of mask wearing will be greatly reduced. If things don’t change and numbers keep going up, we will probably have no choice but to encourage a return to wearing masks at church. We now will be asking people to wear masks again when they come to our office. If you forget your mask, we will have some available for you.
I realize that the science around the virus is fluid. COVID is an insidious disease that morphs into new forms all the time. Contrary to popular belief, science cannot solve all problems instantaneously. Only God knows all things. Events in our world are reminding us how vulnerable we are. We now know what people felt decades ago when many diseases threatened humanity every day, when people did not know how infection spread.
Out of misfortune often comes opportunity. Perhaps there will be a thirst for God that will grow out of the present crisis and a new humility on the part of all. We can only hope.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark