This Week
Last Sunday the Gospel was the ‘feeding of the five thousand’ – the people had plenty to eat and were understandably delighted – we all enjoy a good meal, it’s one of the great pleasures of life. So, when the people realised that Jesus had gone, they went looking for him, a man who could provide food in abundance was somebody worth following. However, when they caught up with Jesus, he warned them, ‘Do not work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to eternal life, the kind of food the Son of Man is offering you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.’
The people are interested and ask, ‘What must we do if we are to do the work that God wants?’ ‘Believe in the one he has sent’, says Jesus. The people then demand a sign, proof that Jesus is of God – have they not just had one in the feeding of the five thousand? But of course, we are never satisfied, are we? They mention the sign that God gave when the people were with Moses in the desert – the manna, bread from heaven. You have something better than that now says Jesus, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.’
I hope you have picked up that I constantly emphasise the centrality of Jesus in our faith. I encourage you to keep focussed on him, to get to know him better, to deepen your relationship with him and that’s basically the message that Jesus gives in today’s Gospel.
In the Eucharist, Holy Communion, Jesus is seeking to draw us closer to himself. It speaks powerfully about Jesus, Jesus gives himself into our hands, becomes small and vulnerable in order to do so, enters within us to become a part of us – ‘the bread of life’ indeed, ‘the bread of love’ also. The eucharist is linked directly with Jesus’ saving act on the cross, truly an act of amazing love, that led on to the Resurrection, Jesus victory over death in which he wants us all to share. The Eucharist did not come out of nowhere, it built on Jewish history and Jesus’ ministry. Jesus worked amazing miracles of love and compassion to bring healing of body and spirit to many, he spoke beautiful words of love and forgiveness. It was rightly said of him, ‘There has never been anyone like this’. So, we need to keep Jesus in our hearts and minds and never forget his amazing love for everyone.
The people are interested and ask, ‘What must we do if we are to do the work that God wants?’ ‘Believe in the one he has sent’, says Jesus. The people then demand a sign, proof that Jesus is of God – have they not just had one in the feeding of the five thousand? But of course, we are never satisfied, are we? They mention the sign that God gave when the people were with Moses in the desert – the manna, bread from heaven. You have something better than that now says Jesus, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.’
I hope you have picked up that I constantly emphasise the centrality of Jesus in our faith. I encourage you to keep focussed on him, to get to know him better, to deepen your relationship with him and that’s basically the message that Jesus gives in today’s Gospel.
In the Eucharist, Holy Communion, Jesus is seeking to draw us closer to himself. It speaks powerfully about Jesus, Jesus gives himself into our hands, becomes small and vulnerable in order to do so, enters within us to become a part of us – ‘the bread of life’ indeed, ‘the bread of love’ also. The eucharist is linked directly with Jesus’ saving act on the cross, truly an act of amazing love, that led on to the Resurrection, Jesus victory over death in which he wants us all to share. The Eucharist did not come out of nowhere, it built on Jewish history and Jesus’ ministry. Jesus worked amazing miracles of love and compassion to bring healing of body and spirit to many, he spoke beautiful words of love and forgiveness. It was rightly said of him, ‘There has never been anyone like this’. So, we need to keep Jesus in our hearts and minds and never forget his amazing love for everyone.
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Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (recorded 2020)
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This week's newsletter and Mass Sheets (click on the small images at the side to view the next page)
The Order of the Mass
In a new series of videos, Father Michael explains more about the Order of the Mass, covering the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist and Concluding Rites.
In a new series of videos, Father Michael explains more about the Order of the Mass, covering the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist and Concluding Rites.
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To watch other videos about St Catherine's please see our Parish YouTube channel