Homily for April 17, 2018.
“Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the
right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears
and rushed together upon him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him.
Acts 7:56-58.
Yesterday, Jesus told the crowd who had obviously come to him for the
sake of bread not to work for food which perishes but that which lasts forever.
Today, Jesus continues his message to the crowd, this time, it was more like a
conversation with the people. Jesus was leading them somewhere gradually – the
Holy Eucharist.
First, Jesus began by explaining to them the inner meaning of the
miracle they had just experience (the feeding of the five thousand). This
miracle was a sign; a pointer to the fact that God is truly a provider, a
pointer that God truly cares for his people; a pointer that God is willing to
go to any extent to ensure that we get our needs just as God was willing to
feed the people during their sojourning in the desert.
Secondly, Jesus made them understand that there are different types of
bread; the earthly bread which we know about and the bread which comes down
from heaven. While the earthly bread represents all that this world has to
offer us (food, money, power, luxury, etc. which often create more hunger in us
since they never satisfy), the bread which comes down from heaven is that which
truly gives us LIFE.
At this point, the people got the message. So they asked Jesus, we want
this bread that comes from heaven. “Give us this bread always.” We don’t want
to eat the bread that leaves us hungrier, we want the bread that is from
heaven. Jesus then told them: I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE; HE WHO COMES TO ME SHALL
NOT HUNGER AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME SHALL NEVER THIRST.
The words of Jesus are indeed proven truths. These words explain why we
cannot do without Jesus. When our relationship with Jesus suffers, everything
literally falls apart in our lives. When our prayer life is in shambles, when
that deep connection with God is absent, we suffer from inner restlessness,
insomnia, endless worry and all kinds of headaches. Without an active faith in
God, our life falls apart.
We all need to have a solid relationship with God in other to survive in
this world. What this relationship does for us is that it helps us realize that
this world as we see it is not all there is to it; that we have another home –
our real home - which is in heaven. Our relationship with God makes us
understand that we are simply sojourners on earth; like the people of Israel,
we are just passing through.
Stephen had this deep inner connection with God. In fact, it is from the
lips of Stephen that we get to hear how heaven looks like. Stephen saw heaven
and the glory of God with Jesus Christ at the right hand of God. Hence in our
Creed, we profess this faith: “He ascended into heaven, where he is seated at
the right hand of God the father.”
Without God, life on earth is meaningless; it is like an endless quest
for things which never satisfy us; a rat race that goes about in circles; we
get this, we suddenly need that. Without God, we can never be happy because God
is itself our life. Keep your relationship with Jesus alive, fuel your
spiritual life, create time daily to be alone with God in prayer, have a daily
routine of meditation, bible study and other spiritual activities, never stop
it. It will sustain your life.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, make me realize how much I need you. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 3rd Week of
Easter. Bible Study: Acts
7:51-59 and John 6:30-35).
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