Search

Results

The inner word

05 Aug 2012 - Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

The Israelites “grumbled” many times during their sojourn through the desert to the land God had promised them. In many cases God’s reaction was anger at the people’s failure to trust in God’s guidance, despite the circumstances. In this week’s reading, however, God’s ultimate response was an act of care: sending them the “flesh” and “bread” they desired. Complaints against God are not in themselves a sin; they figure in scripture on many occasions. It’s what they lead to that’s important. Doubt can lead to belief; even questioning shows you value in a relationship. Don’t be afraid to bring your uncertainties to God. You just might be opening a door to greater faith.

promised land Bread israelites

Restricted
Homily themes

12 Aug 2012 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

"The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The epistle and gospel readings pick up where they left off last Sunday, and there are a number of lines of continuity. Last week the Israelites “grumbled” again at Moses and Aaron for letting them starve, while today the people “murmured about Jesus” because he did feed them—but with what was for them the problematic bread from heaven. The gospel this week also continues a shift of emphasis from belief in Jesus’ words to the necessity of eating his flesh, which is the living bread. In addition the readings point toward encounter: Ezekiel’s anticipated journey to the mountain of God; the goodness of the Lord so palpable one can “taste and see” it; Ephesians’ exhortation to imitate God; and Jesus, who is the “bread that came down from heaven.”

Authors Joel Schorn

Bread israelites Encounter

Restricted
Homily themes

22 Feb 2009 - Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

See, I am doing something new! The prophet puts a “current” event in the context of a “past” one: The freeing of the Israelites from Babylon and the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. God is freeing God’s people again and forgiving their sins, which caused so much damage. In fact God not only liberates but recreates: Just as the Exodus was in a way the birth of the Israelites as a people, so their delivery from Babylon is a rebirth. Along with the psalm and the gospel, this reading tells of the power of God to forgive the transgressions and renew the lives of those who seek God in faith. Homily points The past is good; it tells us who we are and can be. The past is also a problem: It keeps us from being who we were born to be. God cannot give us something new unless we are prepared to surrender something old: our present reality. Paralysis is both a reality and a metaphor of spiritual immobility in the Bible. Jesus wants to heal us of whatever prevents us from being free children of God.

Authors Joel Schorn

past surrender paralysis israelites

Restricted