Fr Frank writes:
My Dear Friends,
Throughout the month of August we have had the great privilege of hearing and contemplating the teachings of Jesus as given in the magisterial sixth chapter of St John’s Gospel. In these gospel readings (set in the context of the feeding of the 5,000) Jesus reveals the true meaning of the Eucharist – the sacrament which is central to our lives as Catholic Christians. These gospel readings remind us of the importance of the Eucharist in our Christian life.
‘Eucharist’ means thanksgiving. So, filled with the Holy Spirit, we give thanks to God today for inviting us to share in His Wisdom, and in the Body and Blood of Christ.
In our First Reading God Himself, who is Wisdom, invites us to His banquet. However, only those who are humble accept this invitation.
In today’s Gospel many refuse to accept Jesus for who he truly is, they refuse to be fools for Christ in order to be made wise in the ways of God. In refusing Christ’s invitation they exclude themselves from receiving the living bread which Christ gives for the life of the world.
At times we can be tempted to turn away from Christ, or fail to recognise him when we come to Mass. We often do this by assuming that we can analyse and understand the mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ with our limited human insight and with the wisdom of this world. If we are tempted to this, the remedy is to turn to God in humble prayer and ask Him to open our eyes to the wonderful truth he sets before us.
May Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life, bless you now and always.
Frank ofs
Sunday Smile:
An account from the past………………..”I was a Sunday School teacher in Glasgow in the late 1960s, and had been discussing with my group of five to seven year olds the story of the Last Supper. When the story and all the discussions were finished we set out illustrating it. Shortly afterwards one wee girl proudly showed me her stickmen disciples with a big stickman Jesus. In the background was a very non-Galilean mobile fast-food van with a line of customers. ‘What’s this?’ I asked. She looked at me in pity. ‘That’s where they got their supper from.’”