May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
They complained. The people who had been freed from slavery,
led out of Egypt, and had walked though the Red Sea on dry land complained.
They complained because they were ungrateful. They complained because they
doubted the promise of God. And they complained because they were hungry. They
complained and they complained and they complained.
And the Lord God heard them, and he loved them, and he gave
them bread from heaven. They complained and he responded with generosity. They
complained and he responded in love. They were ungrateful and he gave them
bread from heaven. They were undeserving
and the Lord God gave them what they needed.
They were undeserving and the Lord God fed his people.
The Lord Jesus fed five thousand men on the side of a
mountain. He had fed them and now they
followed him so that they could be fed again. They wanted the food of earth, but now the
Lord Jesus would feed them with the mysteries of heaven. The Lord Jesus would reveal to those who
followed him the bread from heaven and the work of the Lord God. The Lord Jesus would reveal to them the bread
from heaven that leads to eternal life.
And he would invite them to work for the bread that endures to eternal
life.
In a few weeks over six hundred children and young people in
our parish will begin or continue their religious education. Accompanied by their generous teachers, these
children and young people will continue their work toward the celebration of
First Holy Communion and Confirmation. The teachers and the students will work
very hard this year, as they do each year.
The students and the teachers and the parents will all be working for
the bread that endures to eternal life.
But we do not earn this bread. We cannot earn this bread. We cannot earn that which can only be
received as a gift. We cannot earn the
love of God. We cannot earn the bread of
God. We do not work to earn the bread of
eternal life. We work to prepare to
receive the gift of the bread of life.
At the invitation of Jesus Christ we work to prepare to receive the gift
of Jesus Christ. Our work is the work of
preparation.
We do not earn the Sacraments. We do not earn the grace of God. We do not work to earn the bread that endures
to eternal life. The Sacraments are the
gift of the Lord. The grace of the Lord
is the gift of the Lord. The bread of
the Lord is the gift of the Lord. And we
prepare to receive him. Our work at the
call of the Lord Jesus prepares us to receive the Lord Jesus. Our work prepares us to receive the gift.
As we now celebrate the great gift of the Eucharist, we give
thanks that the Lord has found us worthy to be in his presence. We give thanks that the Lord Jesus has
invited us to share in his work. And we
pray that the work of this day and the work of this week will prepare us to
receive the gift of Jesus Christ.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
