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From the Pastor's Desk: August 8, 2021
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Today we enter together into the third week of Jesus’ five-week course on the mystery of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, which Jesus taught for the first time in the Synagogue of Capernaum and renews for us live every third Summer. Two weeks ago, we had the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, which was a foreshadowing of the multiplication of the meal of the Last Supper throughout every land and time in order to feed the spiritually famished human race. Last week, Jesus brought our attention on the true longing for the Eucharist as the food that gives eternal life. Today, the third lesson offers a great challenge that causes some form of unrest among His followers. “The Jews murmured about Jesus because He said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’”
Today’s passage brings its attention to faith. Here Jesus invites them to look beyond just appearances, to look with deep and profound faith at the spiritual depths of one’s heart to embrace and receive the best gift that ever existed – Christ Jesus Himself, the “Living Bread” who brings us to “live forever.” Faith that points out its mystery, that no one can believe in Him "unless he is drawn by the Father." Faith in Jesus Christ supplies us with life's only dependable fuel, and yet, faith in Christ is God's gift, no one can conjure it up on their own in a chemistry lab. When we look at the small white Host, no scientific test can prove that Jesus Christ is truly present there, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. And yet, we know that He is - we have been given the gift of faith.
The gift of faith is Jesus Himself - the "bread" of this eternal life, its source and sustenance. Without bread, without food, physical life perishes. Without Jesus, without His "flesh for the life of the world" in the Eucharist, our life of intimate communion with God will perish. It's that simple - and it's that crucial. Eleven times in this discourse Jesus speaks of Himself as the Bread of Life; He is really hoping that we'll get the message!
Traditionally, the Church dedicates the month of August to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is a dogma of the Catholic faith that Mary is the Immaculate Conception; that is, in preparation for the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity in her womb, she was conceived without the corruption of sin through the foreseen and infinite merits of her Son, Jesus Christ. Over the centuries, as saints and theologians reflected on how Mary pondered and treasured the sacred events from the life of Christ in her holy heart, as attested in Scripture, her pure heart was recognized as something to be imitated. Devotion to Our Lady’s purity of heart began to flower—so much so that in the 17th century, St. John Eudes promoted it alongside the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion rose to a new level after the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, when Mary revealed an image of her Immaculate Heart to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco. (The CatholicCompany.com)
This week is also time for students and teachers of Annunciation Catholic School to return back to classrooms after summer vacations. May this new school year truly teach us to come ever closer in our relationship with the Father and one another through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
Please join me to pray for the ACS community- that the upcoming school year will be filled with the Spirit of God of wisdom, love, kindness and respect. I am most grateful to the Principal Mr. Eiswert, teachers and staff for their remarkable contribution to support the success and mission of Catholic Education especially during these pandemic stricken times.
As we continue our refection on the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John, let us take a moment to allow the grace of the Eucharist to strengthen our faith. With greater faith we can do something beautiful for God with our lives, “If our life is without prayer, it is like a house without a foundation.” (St Mother Teresa)
I wish you all a blessed week!
With prayers,
Fr. Andy
