18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

08-05-2018Weekly Reflection©2018 Liturgical Publications, Inc.

In an on-demand society, it's not always easy to imagine life with less. The crowds of Jesus' day depended on the weather and successful growing seasons for their livelihood. For many of Jesus' listeners, even "food that perishes" would have been a welcome relief. Jesus acknowledges this but tries to draw them deeper. "You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled." For people who have just witnessed a miracle, the response is strangely marked by ingratitude. "What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert." Jesus fed them for one day, but Moses interceded with God for 40 years of bread. "Jesus," they seem to say, "can't you just give us more?"

How often do we behave similarly in the spiritual life? "If I only I had more patience, then I could be kind to her." "I could be welcoming if I was more outgoing, but that's just not me." "I know I'd be a better parent if I just had more time." Like the crowds, we want Jesus to give us more. We always don't want him to completely shift our paradigm. Perhaps it's not "more patience" we need, but a deeper sense of our own imperfections for a greater sense of empathy. Maybe God is inviting you not to entertain an entire group, but to seek out the quiet person on the fringe. And time may limit you from family engagement, but could God be asking you to reorder your priorities entirely?

After all, it wasn't more loaves that the people needed. Jesus is "the bread of life," who sustains our most essential needs. This week, are you looking for more or are you looking for God Himself?

Después, de la multiplicación de los panes, lejos de comprender la maravilla de los milagros, las personas comenzaron a seguir a Jesús, pero lo asediaban con preguntas. Al grado de crear una tensión entre ellos y un mal entendimiento entre lo que la gente buscaba y lo que ofrecía Jesús. Este domingo, cabe la pregunta para reflejar interiormente. ¿Qué estoy buscando? ¿Qué le pregunto a Jesús? Las personas de su tiempo, buscaban señales milagrosas para creer en él. Le cuestionaban su obra. ¿Qué le pregunto yo? Recordemos las palabras de Jesús, su promesa del pan que nunca se acaba. "Yo soy el pan de vida. El que viene a mí nunca tendrá hambre y el que cree en mí nunca tendrá sed". Juan 6:35).

El pan, es la base de nuestro alimento en la mesa, casi nunca falta el pan, lo saboreamos. Pero, las lecturas nos dicen que hay un pan diferente: el de la relación íntima con Jesús, el Pan de la Eucaristía, como base de alimento para la jornada. Si decimos que creemos en el Cuerpo y la Sangre del Señor, afirmamos nuestro compromiso como bautizado. Pero, como las personas de este Evangelio, el entendimiento humano no siempre alcanza a comprender este misterio. Hoy, se nos pide humildad para reconocer a Jesús en la Eucaristía, conversión para seguir haciendo el bien y autenticidad para vivir los valores cristianos. Somos buscadores, como la muchedumbre de la multiplicación de los panes, Jesús, es el gran profeta, y van tras él a donde vaya. ¿Qué busco al asistir a misa cada domingo?