18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
August 2, 2009
Exodus 16:2-15
Ephesians 4:17-24
John 6:24-35
When the Israelites left Egypt, they also left their food source. As slaves, they received ample food, for their masters wanted workers with stamina. But remember in the Exodus they left in a hurry. They took with them only what they could carry. So in a relatively short time, they are hungry. They begin to question the wisdom of their leaders who had told them God would take care of them.
Today most scholars assume that the newly freed Hebrew slaves escaped, crossing the Reed Sea in the reedy, marshy El Tina Flats region along the Mediterranean coast. They proceeded along a Northerly route in the Sinai Peninsula, not a Southerly route as previously thought.
The reason is based upon today’s first reading. Both manna and quail, foods provided by God for the hungry travelers, are more plentiful in the north. A naturally recurring phenomenon, manna is the secretion of some insects (trebutina mannipara and najococcus serpentius) on the tamarisk shrub during May and June. As the substance drops from the shrub’s leaves to the ground, it is cooled by the night air and becomes firm. If gathered early before the parching desert sun melts it, the manna provides a tasty, nourishing meal.
Quail are migratory birds that fly back to Europe each spring. Returning to their regular habitat in autumn, they fall from exhaustion after crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Even today, these fat, oily birds are easily caught in nets by Bedouins and sold as delicacies.
The fact that manna and quail are explained by science in no way distracts from their spiritual significance. God is at work in every area of our lives. Much later, the descendants of the migrating refugees would say: “God let you be afflicted with hunger and then fed you with manna…in order to show you that not by bread alone does humankind live, but the every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
This in turn sets the back ground for Jesus to teach a new generation that they should worry less about bread which can satisfy only physical hunger. He is the bread come down from heaven which satisfies our spiritual hunger.
Meals are remarkable human events which create, confirm and celebrate relationships. Breakfast or lunch eaten, standing at the kitchen counter, a sandwich inhaled while driving, nibbling on a pizza in front of the TV, all are expedient satisfiers of physical hunger, but they only increase our hunger for human interaction, for friendship and love. They may satisfy the stomach, but not the heart.
To appreciate the meaning of this sacred banquet, we must have prior experiences of dining as a social action. One reason there is a decline in appreciation of the Eucharist is the sharp decline in the experience of eating as a ritual.
What do I most dislike about being a priest? Probably the frequency of having to eat alone. That is a frequent comment I hear from widows & widowers. Something we need to keep in mind as we do bereavement ministry to our family and friends.
A fine dinner has an outstanding menu. We have none less than bread from heaven and a generous cup of wine, signaling the new life offered us all in Jesus.
A fine dinner brings together a wide variety of people to share their lives. There is some diversity in our gathering, perhaps we need to be more attentive to the ethnic origins and skin color of our holy Assembly.
A fine dinner has some who serve and make certain that all goes smoothly. The liturgical ministers at Saint Patrick serve us as if we were the Lord himself.
A fine dinner provides ample opportunity for all to participate, sharing something of themselves and their gifts. The Catholic liturgy provides many opportunities to pray, sing, and stand together in solidarity with other believers throughout the world. I am impressed with the participation level of parishioners here.
Our banquet is not limited to this holy table. At each Eucharist, we are sent at the end. It is a command: go out into the world. Take your experience of the Risen Lord to others. Take the nourishment you have received here in Word & Sacrament. Nourish them.