Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 113

 

So they said to him,
“Sir, give us this bread always.” 
Jesus said to them,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

 

The Israelites didn’t know what to make of the apparent hoarfrost that glittered on the desert floor. Moses had assured them, “...in the morning you shall have your fill of bread!” and here was this moist, dewy substance on the ground.

“What is this?” they asked. In Hebrew, the question sounds like Manna? and that’s what they called it. Moses answered, “This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.”

Recently, many of us have been alarmed to learn that most American Catholics do not recognize our Eucharist as the Body of Christ. Although those who attend Mass hear that doctrine spelled out repeatedly throughout the service, most of our coreligionists are not impressed.

The story is disheartening. Despite the enormous investment of Catholic schools -- elementary, secondary, and tertiary – the doctrine that sets us apart from all other religions is ignored, dismissed, or denied by the majority of self-identified Catholics.

In my experience in the VA, part of that story was the disenchantment of the Vietnam War. Whatever the boys took from their Catholic formation the men left in the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam. The Watergate Scandal also had its impact; we lost faith in our government. Can anyone be surprised that half of all Americans do not believe Joe Biden won the election, or that we have a vaccine to end the pandemic?

What we’ve got here is not a failure to communicate but a loss of faith. We don’t believe in our religion, our government, or one another.

I met this face to face several years ago as I talked with a fellow who worked with the youth of a parish. Neither he nor his family attended Sunday Mass, and yet there he was representing our faith to our children. Somehow in conversation I asked him, “Do you think people are trustworthy?” He insisted they are not.

Nor, for that matter, did I trust him. He and several others in that youth organization demonstrated attitudes and behavior that are alien to our faith. And they were not willing to work with me. During another conversation with a buddy of his, I realized, “This may be our future.” We seem to be circling a vortex into a sinkhole of anger, disbelief, and despair.

Without faith there is no salvation. This doctrine is not a matter of personal salvation. Catholics have never understood faith as a relationship with Jesus exclusive of others. Our faith is boundless. It’s a willingness to trust and work with others in the Church, and then with good people everywhere.

We are called to create a stable, civilized, and secure society. That “kingdom” need not be rich or prosperous, but it must be built on mutual reliance.

Faith in the Church, others, and myself begins with the assurance that the Lord remains with us. He is present in our Eucharist. We know it when we hear the priest proclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” We affirm it when the Eucharistic Minister says, "Body of Christ," and we reply, "Amen."