Vol. 9 No.

43
04-08-2024 18th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Year B
INTRODUCTION
Today’s Gospel is part of a lengthy FIRST READING
discourse wherein the Evangelist The Israelites grumbled against
brings out the significance of Jesus’ God and Moses, annoyed at the
gift of the living bread. The crowd harsh conditions encountered in the
was looking for an unending source wilderness. Despite God providing
of nourishment, a free meal. But water, manna and quail they reached
Jesus was offering a far more angrily at their giver. The first
superior source of nourishment, the reading reminds us not to forget the
bread of His very self. Today the hand of God in every aspect of our
same Jesus invites each one of us to lives and to refrain from murmuring
partake in the bread of life so that in times of crisis.
we may never hunger or thirst. Does A reading from the Book of
the fact that the sacramental gifts Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
are so frequently available to make
them less precious? Does my sharing In those days:
in the bread of life has become a The whole congregation of the
perfunctory routine? people of Israel grumbled against
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,
and the people of Israel said to
O God, come to my assistance; them, “Would that we had died by
O Lord, make haste to help me! You the hand of the Lord in the land
are my rescuer, my help; O Lord, do of Egypt, when we sat by the meat
not delay. (Ps 69:2, 6) pots and ate bread to the full,
COLLECT for you have brought us out into
Draw near to your servants, this wilderness to kill this whole
O Lord, and answer their prayers assembly with hunger.”
with unceasing kindness, that, Then the Lord said to Moses,
for those who glory in you as “Behold, I am about to rain bread
their Creator and guide, you may from heaven for you, and the
restore what you have created and people shall go out and gather a
keep safe what you have restored. day’s portion everyday, that I may
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, test them, whether they will walk
your Son, who lives and reigns with in my law or not. “I have heard the
you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, grumbling of the people of Israel.
one God, for ever and ever. Say to them, “At twilight you shall
eat meat, and in the morning you A reading from the Letter of
shall be filled with bread. Then you Saint Paul to the Ephesians
shall know that I am the Lord your 4:17, 20-24
God”.” Brethren:
In the evening quail came up This I say and testify in the Lord,
and covered the camp, and in that you must no longer walk as the
the morning dew lay around the Gentiles do, in the futility of their
camp. And when the dew had gone minds. But that is not the way you
up, there was on the face of the learned Christ! - assuming that you
wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, have heard about him and were
fine as frost on the ground. When taught in him, as the truth is in
the people of Israel saw it, they said Jesus. Put off your old nature which
to one another, “What is it?” For belongs to your former manner of
they did not know what it was.” And life and is corrupt through deceitful
Moses said to them, “It is the bread desires, and to be renewed in the
that the Lord has given you to eat.” spirit of your minds, and put on the
The word of the Lord new self, created after the likeness
of God in true righteousness and
Responsorial Psalm 78:3 & 4bc, holiness.
23-24, 25 & 54 (R. 24b) The word of the Lord
R: The Lord gave them bread ALLELUIA (Matt 4:4b)
from heaven. V. Alleluia. R. Alleluia.
The things we have heard and V. Man shall not live by bread alone,
understood, the things our fathers but by every word that comes from
have told us, but will tell them to the mouth of God.
the next generation: the glories of R. Alleluia.
the Lord and his might. R: GOSPEL
Yet he commanded the clouds A reading from the holy Gospel
above, and opened the gates of according to John 6:24-35
heaven. He rained down manna
to eat, and gave them bread from At that time:
heaven. R: When the crowd saw that Jesus was
Man ate the bread of angels. He not there, nor his disciples, they
sent them abundance of food; So themselves got into the boats and
he brought them to his holy land, to went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
the mountain which his right hand When they found him on the other
had won. R: side of the lake, they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you come here?”
SECOND READING Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly,
St. Paul urges the Ephesian converts I say to you, you are seeking me, not
that their efforts to overcome their because you saw signs, but because
past evil ways should not cease after you ate your fill of the loaves. Do
Baptism. The process of “learning not work for the food that perishes,
Christ” is a lifelong challenge but for the food that endures to
requiring daily renunciation of all eternal life, which the Son of Man
that is not Christ like. As baptised will give to you. For on him God the
Christians we are called to live a life Father has set his seal.” Then they
of righteousness and holiness.
said to him, “What must we do, to 3. That the faithful may
be doing the works of God?” Jesus inculcate deep faith in the Eucharist
answered them, “This is the work of and participate in the Eucharistic
God, that you believe in him whom meal with deep devotion and due
he has sent.” So they said to him, preparation, we pray to the Lord.
“Then what sign do you do, that 4. That as believers we are not
we may see, and believe you? What to crave for the perishable food
work do you perform? Our fathers but for the life giving bread offered
ate the manna in the wilderness; as freely by our Saviour, we pray to the
it is written, “He gave them bread Lord.
from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said Celebrant: God our heavenly
to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Father, we thank you for the gift
it was not Moses who gave you the of your son Jesus who is inviting
bread from heaven, my Father gives us to partake in the food that
you the true bread from heaven. For ensures eternal life. Grant us the
the bread of God is he who comes grace to revere the Eucharist and
down from heaven and gives life to participate in it worthily. We ask
the world.” They said to him, “Sir, this prayer through Christ our
give us this bread always.” Redeemer. Amen.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread
of life; whoever comes to me shall
not hunger, and whoever believes PRAYER OVER THE
in me shall never thirst.” OFFERINGS
The Gospel of the Lord Graciously sanctify these gifts,
O Lord, we pray, and, accepting the
HOMILY & NICENE CREED oblation of this spiritual sacrifice,
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL make of us an eternal offering to
Celebrant: Jesus offered himself you. Through Christ our Lord.
as bread and blood on the Cross. PREFACE V (Ordinary)
He is the living bread of life. If we It is truly right and just, our duty
believe in Him we will have eternal and It is truly right and just, our
life. With confidence let us now duty and our salvation, always and
place our petitions before the Lord everywhere to give you thanks,
saying : Lord, holy Father, almighty and
LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER. eternal God through Christ our
1. For the Pope Francis, our Lord.
Archbishop, all the Bishops, clergy For you laid the foundations of
and religious, that as spiritual the world and have arranged the
leaders they may work towards changing of times and seasons; you
the establishment of a just society formed man in your own image and
where all people can live in peace set humanity over the whole world
and harmony, we pray to the Lord. in all its wonder, to rule in your
2. That food is absolutely name over all you have made and
necessary for the nourishment and for ever praise you in your mighty
well being of human beings, it may works, through Christ our Lord.
also be made available to everyone And so, with Angels we praise you,
without discrimination through the as in joyful celebration, we acclaim:
bounty of god, we pray to the Lord.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON 1) Jesus as a daily food: The principle
food of the Jews was bread, which was
You have given us, O Lord, bread made from wheat or barely. The process
from heaven, endowed with all of making bread was so well-known
delights and sweetness in every to the Jews that Jesus often refers to
taste. (Wis 16:20) it in his teachings. This can be noticed
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION during the temptation of Jesus “Man
does not live on bread alone” (Mtt 4:4);
Accompany with constant in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us today our
protection, O Lord, those you daily bread” (Mt 6:11); and last Sunday’s
renew with these heavenly gifts Gospel Jesus uses the bread as a means
and, in your never-failing care for for multiplication and in today’s Gospel
them, make them worthy of eternal he declares that He is the bread of life.
redemption. Through Christ our Hence Jesus prepares his followers to
Lord. accept him as the bread of life. By using
the symbol of “bread” such as simple,
REFLECTION ordinary and daily food, Jesus becomes
Our lives are filled with so many the ordinary, daily (spiritual) food of his
competitions and challenges which lead followers.
us to cultivate physical hunger though 2) Jesus is our real satisfaction: Jesus’
we have enough for a day. Our worry response in the Gospel can be divided
about the physical hunger makes us to into two: (a) He reminded them that it
forget God, forgo our spiritual activities was not Moses who had given them the
and fail to realize of our total dependence manna but it was God. (b) He clarified
on God. Like the Israelites we too are them that the manna was not really the
receiving various gifts and favors from bread of God. It was only the symbol of
God every day, but we take it for granted the bread of God. The bread of God was
and grumble within our hearts that our he who came down from heaven and
God had abandoned us and within us gave men not simply satisfaction from
develop a diminishing gratitude. In the physical hunger, but life. Jesus claims
Gospel, the multiplication of the loaves that the only real satisfaction was in him.
which fed five thousand men was bound 3) Jesus quenches our spiritual
to recall to the minds of the multitude the hunger: Though bread is essential for
bread from heaven which God had given survival, we do not live by bread alone (Mtt
to their ancestors in the desert. Though 4:4). Ultimately, our hunger is a hunger
people remember God’s providence for God, as St. Augustine expresses, our
and though they saw many miracles hearts are restless, until they rest in
performed by Jesus they still sought Jesus God. Material hunger cannot satisfy this
for physical hunger and not for spiritual hunger. As bread sustains physical life,
hunger. This diminishing gratitude of it is Jesus who sustains divine life in us.
people hurt Jesus. Thus today we are Just as we fill our stomachs with physical
called to change our priority as how Paul food to satisfy our physical hunger, we
calls us in the 2nd reading that we have have to fill ourselves with Jesus to satisfy
to renew in the spirit of our minds and our spiritual hunger. In other words, as
put on a new nature. Let us now explore food is necessary for body, so Jesus is
the answer for our life through Jesus in necessary for growth in spiritual life. We
three important points: have to come to him in faith and trust,
and humbly ask him, “Lord, give us this
bread always.”
Imprimatur : + Peter Machado, Archbishop of Bangalore
Published by: Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission
Paalanaa Bhavana, 5, Nandidurg Road, Jayamahal Extension, Benson Town Post,
Bengaluru 560046.