There is a story of a very poor family who immigrated to the USA from Europe many years ago on an old fashioned ocean liner. Coming from an obscure country there was no one on board that could speak their language. Having no experience of a sea voyage they brought enough hard bread and cheese to last the journey. One meal time the youngest son was missing, after a while he came back after having eaten in the large dining room upstairs. The family was shocked but he assured them that another young boy whom he had met had explained to him in sign language that the meals were included in the price of the ticket.

The world is full of people like them totally unaware of the incredible Banquet of Life that God spreads for them each day in the Eucharist. Jesus says: “I am the Bread of Life, whoever eats this bread will live forever and the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world.” It is tragic that so many people go through life totally unaware of this great gift. But even more tragic is the fact that so many go through life aware of it but take it for granted and fail to really appreciate it.

“If we honestly want to posses Christ and be possessed by him, we have to work for it. This means living in such a way that our desire for Christ directs our heart and mind toward him, regardless of our obligations and activities. It means keeping God present during the day, visiting and receiving Christ in the Eucharist frequently, and living under the influence of the Eucharist” (Sacerdos Homilies)

This is the fourth week of reflections on the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ. The Gospels the last three weeks, this week and next are all a continuation of John’s Chapter on the meaning of the Eucharist. This is very unusual in terms of the Church’s liturgy and doesn’t happen very often. Usually the themes change every week. To devote four weeks to the Eucharist indeed stresses the importance that it must be in our lives. Let us make every effort to make the Eucharistic meal a very important part of our lives.

Picnic  – Please be sure to sign up today in the back of church for our parish picnic to be held Sunday, August 30th. If you can spare an hour or two that would be most helpful! Many hands are needed to make this a successful day.

Once there was a stonecutter who was bored and unhappy with his job. One morning, as he was cutting stones, he saw the king pass by. He prayed to God: “Lord, please make me that king because I am tired of being a stone cutter. It seems good to be king.” The Lord made him a king instantly.

 While he was a king he was walking along a road one day, he found the sun much too hot that he was perspiring heavily. He said to God: “It seems the sun is more powerful than the king. I would like to be the Sun.” Instantly, the Lord made him the sun. As he was shining brightly one morning, he found that the clouds were blocking his sunshine, then he thought to himself: “It seems as though the clouds are better than the sun because they can obstruct my sunshine.” So he said: “I want to be the clouds.” He became the clouds. Later on, he became the rain that poured down on the earth causing a flood. He said: “I’m now very powerful.” Then he noticed a big rock that blocked his flow. He said to himself: “It seems the stone is more powerful than I am. I want to be this stone.” Then he became the stone. One morning, a stonecutter started to cut him to smaller pieces. He said: “it seems the stonecutter is more powerful than I am. I want to be a stonecutter.” Then he instantly became what he originally was.

 People often complain and love to murmur. The gospel starts by saying that as soon as the Lord said to the Jews: “I am the Bread that came down from heaven,” the Jews murmured to one another. They started to say: “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, “I have come down from heaven?”

The point is that, murmuring, talking so much and gossip do not solve the situation. Let us stop doing all these and talk to God and in this sense we may be able to discover enlightenment and grace. But what Jesus says that He is the living bread that came down from heaven and gives us eternal life is not a gossip but true. And then there are things we need to be concerned with just before we come to Communion. These are the elements of our proximate preparation.

 Concerning our thoughts: As we come down the aisle at Communion time, do we focus our thoughts on Jesus? Or are we thinking about what we’re planning to do after Mass? Or are we focused on the people around us? Concerning our words: When the priest or extraordinary minister says, “The Body of Christ,” do we respond with a faith-filled and enthusiastic “Amen”?

Fruitful reception of the Holy Eucharist makes a big difference. According to Jesus, it not only gives us spiritual strength for this life, it also brings us one step closer to heaven. May all of us prepare properly and then receive fruitfully as often as possible.

Last Sunday we began a five week focus on the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John. We do this every three years, just as we repeat all the Sunday readings every three years. That the Church should spend five weeks on John 6 demonstrates that this is one of the most important sections of the Gospels.

 The first reading of this Sunday made me reflect deeper on the Eucharistic prayer # 2 the specific part called the Epiclesis. Here the priest calls upon the Holy Spirit to make holy our sacrifices and the sacrifice of bread and wine. The words of the prayer are “make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body + and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” Did you see it? The DEWFALL. It reminded me that this prayer refers to what happens to be our first reading this weekend. In it we heard how a heavy dew settled on the camp where Moses and the Israelites had settled in for the night. Amidst all their hunger, complaining, hardship etc. God had provided for every need and provided more than enough food for the Israelites. The Gospel reading parallels the first and both are wonderful reminders not only of God’s goodness and promise but especially of whose we are. They also tell us about the source and summit of our faith and what sustains us. All throughout history God has fulfilled His promise to humanity. For us, that promise to sustain us comes in the Eucharist. It nourishes us in body and spirit. It transforms us; sometimes in very small ways and sometimes in grand ways to be more like Christ. Our source and summit is as stated in this week’s Gospel reading “The Bread of Life”; Jesus Christ who through the Eucharist dwells within each of us.

Let our prayer be, Lord give us our daily bread from heaven. Never let us forget your generous goodness in caring for us. Let us never stop looking to you with gratitude and fidelity.

 We have two parish events that are coming up that can help us build our community – Parish Picnic on Sunday August 30, with the noon Mass in the tent followed by fun and fellowship and “Parish Fun Run” on September 20^th.  We will need help and volunteers for both these event to make it successful, so if you have that time, energy and talent just sign up when help is asked for. Thank You.

World Youth Day

Pope Francis has invited the youth of the world on pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2016–and on Sunday he became the first pilgrim to register himself.

 Today we open registration for the thirty-first World Youth Day, to be held next year in Poland, he said. I invite the youth of the world to live this pilgrimage that will be going to Krakow.  The youth will be participating in this moment of grace for their communities, he said.

 The Pope spoke from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square after praying the Angelus July 26. With a young man and a young woman at his side, he used an iPad to become the first registered pilgrim for the next World Youth Day. Look, I enrolled in the Day as a pilgrim through this electronic device, Pope Francis said.

 St. John Paul II instituted the international gathering in 1985 to bring together young people to pray and worship and to celebrate their Catholic faith. The events are held every 2-3 years and have drawn crowds of up to 5 million people. World Youth Day 2016 will be held in Krakow, Poland from July 26-31.

Pope Francis attended the 2013 World Youth Day with millions of people in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. About 2.5 million people are expected to attend the 2016 event, including about 30,000 from the United States.

The Pope on Sunday said the next World Youth Day will be a jubilee of youth who are called to reflect on its biblical theme, Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.