2 August
2015
18th
Sunday, Year B
Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Psalm 78
Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
Matthew 6:24-35
[__01__] Hunger. Thirst.
Where
does our hunger, our thirst lead us?
Is
it not true that the sensations of hunger, of thirst will cause MOTION and
EMOTION, movement in body and mind.
And
… in the soul and spirit.
In
the Gospel, this Sunday, we read that a crowd had been following Jesus – moving
– geographically because earlier they had been fed, nourished.
In
last Sunday’s Gospel reading from Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, Jesus had
fed the crowd of 5,000 plus through the multiplication of the loaves and
fishes.
[__02__] Where does our hunger, our thirst lead us?
Is
this hunger = Good News?
Is
hunger good news?
Is
it encouraging in any way … to be hungry?
Jesus
is not simply pushing his disciples – or
you and me – into a HUNGER GAME – so that God can give a final exam, a grade, a
Grade-Point-Average of “grace” and decide who is worthy of salvation.
Nevertheless,
have we NOT been taught, instructed, even encouraged to be hungry, to be
thirsty …. with some intentionality.
In
this case, “hunger” does not simply mean a “hunger” for success and prosperity, but this is one example of how we
experience hunger as something positive.
As
children, for example, while our parents were feeding us and clothing us…in our
family, I experienced a push – at times – from my parents that we would always
remain hungry, that we would work hard.
Yes,
that type of hunger is good news. A
hunger for what we cannot yet see or taste or experience.
[__03__] St.
Paul in his letter to the Philippians writes that he is not moved by physical
hunger or physical thirst alone.
While
Paul knew hunger and thirst and other sensations, Paul teaches that we are
called to see Jesus – and his teaching and his life – and the Holy Eucharist as
our true food and drink …and as we need from the inside-out …
Paul
wrote:
“I know
indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with
abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of
being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in
need. I have the strength for everything
through him who empowers me.” (Philippians 4:12-13)
…or as we also read … “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me.”
(Philippians 4:13)
[__04__] Is
hunger = good news?
Certainly
hunger is materially profitable and productive for those with something to
give, with something to offer.
To
Jesus – last Sunday, the hunger (the desire) of the crowd was Good News.
Because they were hungry, they also wanted to receive from the abundance of the
miracle. And, they began to follow him
around.
In
this little local-primary appearance in the New Hampshire of the Holy Land, the
popularity of our Savior rises. He has offered something to those in need.
Hunger
is good news.
And,
have we not, at times, also attached ourselves to those with something to
offer, something to give?
Hunger
is good news.
[__04.01__] Hunger in the home will bring us to the
table. Hunger is good news for the family.
[__04.02__] Hunger on the sidewalk or the street will
bring us inside the restaurant. Hunger is good news for business.
[__04.03__] Hunger for knowledge will motivate us to
do our academic homework. Hunger is good news for intelligence.
[__04.04__] Hunger for renewal and beauty will
motivate us to do summer or spring cleaning. Hunger is good news for beauty,
for visual appearance.
[__05__] It
is, of course, natural for us to recognize that we have many desires, many
hungers – natural desires in the body and mind.
It
is, of course, natural for us to recognize that we have a desire for love, for
affection, for intimacy, for companionship.
These
are also natural human desires. What our
Catholic faith teaches is, also, about the connection between our love for
others and our responsibility toward others.
Pope Saint John Paul II has spoken of this in his Theology of the Body…
a theology that is not purely about the physical satisfaction but also about
spiritual peace and stability.
And,
in this regard, we are called to recognize that God has created man and woman
for this mutual balance, stability …and with desire for each other and with
respect for each other – each as a person.
This
is the sacrament of Christiam matrimony which includes the desire for the
spouses to be united, to be together, a desire which also brings new life and
love into the world.
And,
for this reason, our Catholic faith promotes the importance of love for the
total person – physical and spiritual and also regards as sinful and conditions
or methods that do not allow life or love to flourish between the spouses.
This
could include, for example, a pre-condition or an unreasonable expectation… or
an unwillingness to forgive the other person for his or her faults.
Certainly,
we have expectations about the ways in which other people – including one’s
spouse – could or should act. Nevertheless, these expectations sometimes become
conditions by which love is hindered …and which our desire for the other
person’s welfare decreases.
In
a similar way, our Catholic faith regards as sinful technologies,
pharmaceuticals, contraceptives which do not permit life to flourish to or to
start with natural conception.
For
from every marriage, at every age, comes for new life, new life.
In
marriage, husband and wife are called to help each other, to appeal to the
other, to be compassionate toward other… and to do so not only for the good of
the marriage but for the whole world.
Hunger,
desire is good news.
As
Christians, we are called to remember that Jesus does not simply feed us
physically.
I
think that we have all had experiences in life where we suffered a deficiency,
a lack, made a sacrifice but were somehow fulfilled by this, thus experiencing
what Paul described:
“In every
circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and
of being hungry.” (Philippians 4:__)
[__05(a)__] Jesus invites us to accept hunger, to accept difficulty, so that we will not rely purely on the things we can physically possess or consume or touch.
For
example, in the Gospel we read on Ash Wednesday, we read that we are called to
fast -- or to be hungry – but not to
announce our hunger or our fasting to others in any boastful way.
Jesus
says, “When
you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their
appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to
you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and
wash your face so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father
[to God] who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” (Matthew 6:16-18)
[__06__] Hunger
is good news, not because we can overcome it … or outplay the competition (the HUNGER GAME) … but rather so
that we can be aware of our deeper desires.
[__06__] This is his message to those by whom he is
followed in the Gospel this Sunday.
He
cautioned them in their desire to
satisfy only the hunger manifested in flesh and blood.
These
members of the crowd had been pursuing Jesus for a while. Their pursuit began at the beginning of this
same chapter, Chapter 6, of the Gospel
Book of John. They were impressed very much at our Savior’s multiplication of
the loaves, the miraculous feeding of the crowd of 5,000 plus.
“Hungry
again?” our Lord and Savior says in a
simultaneous offer to help them…. While also resisting these guests who seem
(anxious for) (interested in) a free
meal.
Jesus
challenges them,
“You are
looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and
were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures
for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (John 6:26-27)
[__07__] Jesus cautions them – and you and me – about
the danger of immediate fulfillment of
our material desires.
Or,
at least the pursuit only this material fulfillment.
[__08__] Have we not been taught this lesson – in other examples – that true fulfillment – true
happiness is not based on the satisfaction of our desires but rather on the
development of our relationships?
We
are not born into this world to CONSUME, or to be CONSUMED, but rather to GIVE
ourselves.
It
is also Good News to be aware of the hunger or emptiness that may exist in
another person and to be aware of how our presence may not physically or
immediately change him or her… but nevertheless be a gift of Communion, of gift
of our Holy Communion to each other, the Body of Christ. AMEN.
It
is good news to be hungry.
[__12__] This
Gospel is a conversation between Jesus and
his disciples about the Bread of Life, the true Bread of Life.
In
this conversation, our Lord is asking us to remain around him, to remain with
him, to build a relationship with him.
We
also pursue him, try to find him, not simply so that he will fulfill our every
wish, but rather that we will believe in him as a person, as our personal
Savior, and the one who helps us to understand that his words are our nourishment,
his wisdom is our food.
And,
his sacrifice is our fulfillment.
If
we can give back with our own attention to his words, our own attentiveness at
the table and with our own generous self-sacrifice, we will also be following
him, imitating him.
We
may also be hungry for more. Hunger is good news.
By
seeking him, we may not be served what we had expected but we will understand
better where does our our true hunger, our true thirst lead us? [__13__] [__fin__]
