*Jesus; the True Bread.*
(Homily for May 2, 2017).
Few days ago, we read about how Jesus fed the multitude of about five thousand with just five loaves and two fish. Jesus fed them not simply to satisfy their physical craving for food but to create in their hearts a longing for real spiritual food which was his own body.
The miracle of the feeding of five thousand speaks volumes about our relationship with God. at times, God feeds us; that is, He answers our prayers, He provides our material needs and we easily begin to assume that is all to it. We may even come to the point of seeing God basically as our provider and nothing more.
Dear friends, God is not simply a bread-giver but a life-giver. God is not only interested in providing our needs, God wants to be part of our life. In other words, God wants us to feed on him rather than become solely dependent on the things he provides.
The things of the world, houses, cars, clothes, money and so on do not last, even the best food in the world does not cure hunger forever; no matter how sweet it is, you would become hungry again. But there is food which nourishes our soul, there is food which truly gives us life – that food is the body of Jesus Christ.
No wonder, whenever we are cut off from God, whenever our spiritual life weakens or whenever we stay away from Holy Communion for a long time, our life becomes a shadow of itself; everything just falls apart. We can survive without the things of this world, but we cannot survive without God.
When we are in tune with God, when our relationship with Him is in perfect terms, when we actually eat his body in Holy Communion knowing we are in a state of grace, there is a deep seated inner feeling of joy and satisfaction that takes over our spirit. It is a joy that cannot be explained; a joy likened to that which we feel in the presence of someone with whom we are deeply in love.
It is this joy that Jesus is referring to when he says: "He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall not thirst." John 6:35. In other words, when we have Jesus living inside us, hungry stomach or full stomach no longer matters anymore; with Jesus in us, abundance or poverty means nothing to us – we are always fully satisfied.
This is the joy that Stephen felt deep within him in the first reading to the extent that even when we he was being put on trial, he was so connected with God that he saw heaven open and the glory of God with Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
As Stephen was being stoned, he still could pray: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Even though he was feeling the pains of the heavy stones crashing into him, Stephen felt a sense of deep inner peace and calm within his heart. He was not bitter. He did not utter curses upon his accusers instead like Jesus, he even prayed for them: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Acts 7:60.
Stephen therefore gives us a perfect example of what it means to be fully and deeply connected with God. When we are truly in sync with God, nothing else matters. We speak the truth without fear or favour.
When we are deeply in touch with God, we don't pursue money as if having it is all there is to life, indeed, we don't care so much about our daily bread but are prepared to lose everything if only to remain connected with God in spirit. Like Stephen, we are prepared to even offer our lives for God's sake.
Nowadays, people just come forward to receive Holy Communion without even prayerfully reflecting on what they are receiving. We are so distracted at mass, pressing our phones or discussing with our colleagues, running commentaries yet when it is time for communion, we just jump into the line and say "Amen."
We know we don't have a relationship with God yet to avoid shame and give people the impression of holiness, we just come out to receive Holy Communion as though it is ordinary bread or our entitlement. This is definitely not what Jesus had in mind when he gave us his body and blood. Let us not get to familiar with it. Bring back reverence for Holy Communion and ensure you are in sync with God before coming to receive.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, deepen my love and devotion to you. Amen.