Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 16, 2015
Gospel: Jn 6:51-58
Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the living bread that
came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread
that I will give is my flesh (1) for the life of
the world.”
The Jews quarreled (2) among
themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to
them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man (3) and drink his blood, you do not have
life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood
is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in
him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike
your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live
forever.”
(http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081615.cfm)
The difficult words
(1) Flesh means body.
(2) To quarrel is to argue, understand that
what they are doing is wrong.
(3) The Son of Man is
another name for the Messiah, Jesus.
This week’s spotlight
The books of wisdom
There are seven books in the Old Testament that speak
about wisdom: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, and
Sirach. They are in the form of fables, tales, or proverbs. They explain how
people should behave toward God their Father. The wisdom in these books was
taught by God himself, because it was his Spirit who inspired the Jewish
teachers who wrote these books.
The Elevation
At Mass, after the priest says, “This is my body which
will be given up for you" over the bread, he lifts up the host and we look
upon it, adoring Christ, whose body is now present. After saying, “This is the
cup of my blood" over the chalice, the priest lifts it, too, and we adore
Christ whose blood is present in the cup. We call this lifting up of the host
and chalice the “elevation." At the end of the eucharistic prayer; the
priest once again lifts up both of them together; praying, "Through him,
with him, in him…”Jesus offers his body and blood in the Eucharist for our
salvation. By looking upon him in adoration, we can offer ourselves to him at
Mass with great love.
Reflection
Promised!
Listen carefully to this week’s Gospel. Jesus is
making an amazing promise. He promises that whoever receives the Eucharist will
have eternal life! Jesus promises to raise us up after we die, and to bring us
to live for ever in heaven! How can Jesus make such a powerful promise? He can
make it because he is God. He came to earth to feed us with the bread of life.
Everyone who eats this bread will live for ever. Jesus gave up his body and
blood on the cross, and he gives it to us at every Mass. It is very important
for us to participate fully in the Mass, paying attention to the readings and
prayers, and to prepare well for Holy Communion!
Discussion questions
1. What kind of bread does Jesus say he will give?
2. Where does this living bread come from?
3. What will this bread do for those who eat it?
4. What else does Jesus say about this bread?
5. What do you think Jesus is talking about?
Praying after Communion
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart.
God, our Father; we thank you for
the extraordinary promise made by your Son Jesus. May this communion with his
body and his blood keep us in joy and help us to respond to this promise.
Crossword Puzzle
http://usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm