Homily for April 16, 2018.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but
because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which
perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.” John 6:26-27.
There are two ways to understand this statement of Jesus: First, what do
I spend my time and energy on? And secondly, what do I ask from God in prayer?
What am I labouring for? What is it that pushes me out of bed in the
morning and gets me engaged till I finally crawl back to sleep at night? Is it
something that perishes (i.e. that can get exhausted, lose its value, change,
decay, go out of fashion, spoil, die, etc.) or something that lasts forever?
How empty would my life be if by the time I come to the end of my life I
see all that I have worked for passing away, change ownership, get lost or even
cease to exist! If my life’s goal is to work so hard till I acquire all that
this world has to provide, then I am only working for perishable things. In
fact, I might as well not work at all.
This is why Jesus asked us in Matthew 16:26; “For what will it profit a
man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” Again in Matthew
6:31-33, Jesus warns: “Do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What
shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these
things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first
his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”
Do not work just for money. Rather let your work be devoted to making
life on earth a better place. Do not work only for your stomach, you will not
always have the health to enjoy it. Rather, work for something that will
outlive you such that long after your death, your work continues to help
humanity.
On the other hand, the second way to understand what Jesus is saying is
to ask: “Why am I looking for God?” The great multitudes in today’s Gospel
passage obviously were looking for Jesus because they wanted their fill of
bread and just like them, we often seek God because we want bread. We need God
in our lives not because of who God is but because of what we stand to benefit
from God.
We use God as a sort of ATM machine, a solid provider, a bread producer
so to say. If we were really honest with ourselves, we would realize that we do
not really worship God, we only patronize God as business partners do. We call
on God when we are in need and the moment we get our needs met, we just push
God aside. Or better put, we stop calling God as soon as we figure it how to
get the material things for which we once depended on him.
Until we change our perception of God as an ATM machine, we would never
stop getting disappointed each time our prayer are not answered. Until we
realize that God himself is the supreme goal of our lives and that nothing else
is as important as God, we would just keep getting frustrated; frustrated that
God has not done enough for us and frustrated that the happiness we hope to
derive from material things is just not there.
Dear friends, get this today – if God suddenly answers all your prayers
right now, you will still be in need. Our only prayer should be that we are
perfectly united with God because only God can perfectly satisfy all the
yearnings of our heart. Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.
Even though Stephen was ordained a deacon to serve at tables, he soon
discovered he had certain gifts and talents he wasn’t going to keep to himself.
He started performing signs and wonders and this got him into trouble from
those jealous of him. While the false accusations against Stephen were pouring
in, his face started shining like that of an Angel.
Do you feel disappointed that God did nothing to prevent Stephen from
dying despite his innocence? You shouldn’t be. Stephen got the best of it all,
he got God himself; Stephen got the food that can never perish. This is the
only food we should aspire for. Not even our very life is as important as being
united with God.
Sing: You take the whole world and give me Jesus. You take the whole
world and give me Jesus. You take the whole world and give me Jesus. I’m
satisfied, am satisfied.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, fill me with all the graces, blessings and courage I need to
proclaim you to the world by my thoughts, words and deeds. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 3rd week of
Easter. Year B. Bible Study: Acts 6:8-15 and John 6:22-29).
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