THE 6th CHAPTER
OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
The title of my homily for this 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time is,
“The 6th Chapter of the Gospel of John.”
This Sunday and the next 4 Sundays, we’ll have the 6th
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 6th
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 6th 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 6th 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 6th
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 6th
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.
