HOMILY FOR THE 18TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.


Exodus 16:2-4.12-15; Psalm 78:3-4.23-25.54; Ephesians 4:17.20-24; John 6:24-35.

“THE LORD WILL PROVIDE ‘BREAD’ FOR YOU!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide

Today the church celebrates the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. Reflecting last Sunday on the gospel of the feeding of the five thousand, which sets the tone for the series of reflections in the coming Sundays validates the fact that Jesus is indeed the bread of life.

Today we reflect as part of that series, that “the Lord will provide ‘bread’ for us”. The bread which the Lord will provide is both material and physical. That is why, in most of Jesus' miracles, he begins with physical healing before inviting us to deeper spiritual healing.

The bread as used in the theme for our reflection today has both physical and spiritual connotations. This shows that the Lord is willing to provide them both for us. How can you tell a hungry man that Jesus loves him, without first making an effort to give him something to eat after which he then can have the strength to listen and also be grateful to the God who has provided food (bread) for him.

As human beings, we need both physical and spiritual strength for our journey to eternity. The two are equally important but Jesus warns us not to excessively go into the pursuit of the physical bread that we lose the spiritual which is lasting and endures for eternity.

In the first reading (Exodus 16:2-4.12-15), the people of Israel despite being liberated from slavery in Egypt murmured against God in anger caused by hunger in the wilderness. They preferred slavery to temporal hunger. In murmuring, they demanded physical strength to complete the spiritual journey in the wilderness.

Dear friends in Christ, our God is not insensitive, he knows what we need even before we ask. The Lord who has called out the people of Israel from slavery was very much prepared to lead them by making provision for their mission.

The sad reality is that for the bread of today, we are prepared to be enslaved for eternity. How can the people of Israel prefer slavery in Egypt to the promised land? How can they prefer momentary gains for that which will last forever? Are we different? When we choose to commit all kinds of vices with the excuse to make ends meet. Are we not also choosing a short-term solution over a long-term provision?

God will always be God, despite their murmuring and complaints, he provided for them their needs. He fed them morning and evening. Which means that God satisfied their needs. Notice that they were particularly instructed to take food for the day’s needs. They were to trust completely in the providence of God. And God was faithful to his promise until they became unfaithful.

In the gospel reading (John 6:24-35), at this time, the people began to flock and search around for Jesus. It was not difficult for Jesus to quickly decode that they were not searching for him because they believed in his works and messages. Jesus was for them a philanthropist rather than a savior. They wanted the momentary food and were not interested in the food for eternity.

Friends in Christ today is also another opportunity to look inward and to ask ourselves why we are seeking God. Is it because we believe that he can provide for our needs? Is it because he can save us from diseases and untimely death? We must be careful not only to seek Jesus for just material gains at the expense of spiritual gains. No wonder scripture tells us “Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and every other thing will become your own” (Matt. 6:33).

When we seek Jesus with a sincere heart and develop a good and intimate relationship with him, obeying his commandments and doing his will, he not only guarantees us the bread of eternity but also the bread of now. What attracts those numerous blessings to us, is that we must always be seen to be living a life that is in concomitance with our Christian vocation.

Jesus is reminding the people that it was not Moses who gave them bread from heaven but God himself. He draws their attention to the fact the world and all that is in it were made by God and are sustained by God. It is God that ultimately gives light and life. So, if we seek only the bread of how to live, God still determines how long we live. Why don't we come to repent of our sins and waywardness and seek the true bread that gives life? Jesus is “the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst” (Jn. 6:35).

The second reading (Ephesians 4:17.20-24), caps it all by telling us not to be spiritually blind to the reality of eternity. We must not live as Gentiles do but live as Christians. Christians believe in the eternity of the life after and work consciously towards it with every passion and commitment. We must discard our old, selfish identity of sin and debauchery and put on the new man which is crafted in holiness and righteousness.

To be new and holy means to trust in the power of God and to live a life free of sin and trusting in the power of God to always make provision for those who always do his will. There is nothing as reassuring as he explicitly promised it in today’s psalm “The Lord gave them bread from heaven” (Ps. 78:24). This means that God will always provide for you if you do his will.

May the good Lord bless his word in our hearts through Christ our Lord, Amen!

Happy Sunday!!!

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