THE 6th CHAPTER 

OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time is, “The 6th Chapter of the Gospel of John.”

This Sunday and the next 4 Sundays, we’ll have the 6^th Chapter of John as our Gospel readings.

This is the year of Mark, Year B, in the 3 year cycle for Sunday Readings. A - last year - was Matthew. This year is Mark - B. Next year -  C - is Luke.

Since Mark is only 16 chapters and there are 33 Sundays in Ordinary Time - I assume those who arranged these readings took this 6^th chapter of John - broke it up into 5 parts - and surprise - made this Lectionary idea for a 3 year cycle of Gospels work. Next - a question - when to introduce this variation for Year B?  Answer: it’s perfect putting it right after last Sunday’s gospel. That gospel reading from Mark had a vast crowd coming to Jesus from everywhere - to listen to him -  but we also know they are fed by him. So instead of Mark’s version of the feeding - we get John’s - and starting today with Chapter 6 for 5 straight Sundays.

So with that as an introduction, let me present this homily. It will consist of  5 comments about the Eucharist coming from this 6^th Chapter of Gospel of John.

My hope is that this will be a refresher course on the Eucharist - the Mass - what we are doing here right now - and every Sunday.

Relax I’m aiming for 9 minutes.

1) THE BASKETS OF BREAD NEVER BECOME EMPTY

My first point would be that the bread never runs out. Jesus is still feeding us - as he has been doing since sometime around the year 33.

Notice in today’s gospel from John 6,  after the 5,000 were fed, Jesus says “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” Then John 6 continues, “So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.”

The baskets of bread have never been empty. Every Sunday over a billion Catholics come up the aisle to receive. Okay a lot less - not all go to church.

The 12 disciples became 11 - with Judas’ betrayal of Jesus - and then they became the many priests and bishops down through the ages.

Take a moment these 5 weeks to reflect upon your communion moments - receiving first communion - receiving communion at the parish churches that have been part of your life -  receiving communion at beach churches - receiving communion at big events in stadiums when the pope was in town or where or what have you.

I think of Father Walter Ciszek - the Jesuit from Shenandoah, Pennsylvania who was in the Soviet Union from 1939 to 1963. Most of the time  he was in prison - 5 years in Moscow’s Lubyanka Prison and 15 years in the Gulag in Siberia. He was there as a priest and said Mass in concentration camp prisons in Siberia for many, many years. People secretly received communion - taking tiny pieces of the Bread of Life while in those labor camps. If you want to read a great book read, With God in Russia, by Walter Ciszek.

The baskets never become empty.

2) THERE ARE LEFTOVERS

As we heard in today’s gospel from John 6 there were leftovers.

There is evidence from the Early Church that the bread after the Mass was brought to the sick and those who couldn’t get out of their home or they were in jail.

In time, because we believe in the divine presence of Jesus in the Eucharistic bread, people after Mass would sit in the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. A rich theology developed out of that. It is still with us today - as we see in the springing up once again in churches around the world - the practice of people adoring Jesus Christ  in the Sacred Bread. One suggestion: want something to read when you’re in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament? The 6^th chapter of John.

Want more? Matthew, Mark and Luke present the Last Supper Scene in texts that are not that long. Each tells us that Jesus said at the Last Supper to take bread and wine and say, “This is my body. This is my blood. I’m giving my life for you. Do this in memory of me.” John significantly doesn’t do that. But John gives us two great scenes on the Eucharist - his 6^th chapter which we begin today and also the words and actions of Jesus at the Last Supper which take up chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. That’s a lot of words and messages for our renewal. So if you pray in a Eucharistic chapel or at home in a prayer chair - a place that is quiet and prayerful - you can read John 6 and then John 13-17 - and you will have a much greater grasp and understanding of why we are here this morning for Mass.

Once more, as we heard in today’s gospel from John 6, Jesus said, “Gather the fragments.” There is evidence that a tiny fragment from all the local churches were brought to the main church. At the cathedral or main church - that little piece was put in the chalice with the wine - the precious blood. It was done as a symbol the unity of all churches with the mother or central church.

Notice in our Mass we still have a remnant of that tradition when the priest breaks off a tiny piece of the bread and puts it in the chalice.

3) WE COME HERE AS PART OF A CROWD: COMMUNION

In today’s gospel from John 6 we see and hear about a big crowd. That’s us till this day. We are part of the vast crowd of Catholics and Christians - followers of Jesus down through the ages.

In today’s second reading from Ephesians 4: 1-6, Paul points out that we are one body - called to one hope because we have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Sometimes at Sunday Mass and sometimes in life - we feel crowded but alone - all alone. This scene in John 6 and this scene of all of us together at this Mass tells us we are not just a crowd - we are united in Jesus Christ. Amen.

4) WE HAVE JEWISH ROOTS

In the very Early Church there was a heretic named Marcion of Sinope. His dates are roughly 85 to 160. He was declared a heretic because he said the Jewish scriptures are inferior and the god described in the Jewish scriptures was inferior.

John was Jewish. Jesus is Jewish. Today’s gospel from John 6 has deep connections of Christianity with Judaism. Today’s gospel has Passover overtones. Just as Moses led a large crowd from slavery to freedom, so too. Just as Moses and the Israelites  had to move quickly, so quickly that the bread didn’t rise - so to we use unleavened bread in this our Passover Meal.

All those of you who are in AA or any 12 step program can choose Jesus as your higher power who liberates people.

John 6 is laced with Jewish symbolism and cross references.

5) JESUS IS PROPHET, PRIEST, KING, LORD

And lastly in John 6 we come face to face with the question who Jesus is.

This Sunday we only get a glimpse of who Jesus is - when he is seen as Prophet and King. In our following Sundays - when we continue with the 6^th chapter of the Gospel of John, we’ll hear Jesus using the pronoun “I” a bit - as he does in many significant moments in the Gospel of John. Jesus will tell us in John 6: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Our faith is a relationship with God - an I to I relationship with Christ - who feeds us - and who will lead us to the eternal banquet. Amen.