Sunday July 26, 2007

Date: Sunday July 26, 2009, 17th Sunday Ordinary Time
Readings: 2Kings 4:42-44 Psalm 145:10-11,15-18
Ephesians 4:1-6 John 6:1-15

The Gospel of John is traditionally known as the Book of "Signs".
In Chapter 2, Jesus worked His first sign (miracle) at the wedding feast in Cana. There He transformed water into the best wine. The people marveled at this miracle. However, it was only the first of many signs prefacing the remarkable change from Bread and wine into His own Body and Blood.
Our first reading from II Kings 4, outlines the first biblical multiplication of loaves. Elisha, who succeeded Elijah as the prophet of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, expressed God's word as it came to him. "Distribute the barley loaves to the people. They will eat their fill and some will be left over." There were over 100 men and twenty loaves. Doesn't seem like much of a miracle, does it? Twenty loaves and only 100 men, that's about 4 slices each.
Christ's multiplication of 5 barley loaves to be shared among 5000 men was an extraordinary event. Some of the people were scared; Others harkened back to the time (Deut.18: 15f) the Lord said to Moses," I will raise up a prophet, like you." The people having been fed to the full said, "Surely, this is THE prophet Who is to come into the world". Christ, in a later portion of John 6, declares He is the bread of Life.
"Whosoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, Has life eternal."
Our unity with Christ must be manifested through our community with each other and our Church. The writer of Paul to the Ephesians, begs, from prison, for unity among these Greek converts. They are to be one in Faith, united in Love, with the One Church, One Baptism; uniting us to Christ.