READINGS AT MASS
Deut. 8:2-3, 14-16
Psalm 147
1 Cor. 10:16-17
Jn. 6:51-58
Theme: THE BREAD
Dear friends in Christ, N'wokafu YESU KRISTO...
Today is the solemnity of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, Today, we adore Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, in the visible form of bread and wine.
Unlike Western culture where meat or fish is the main article or element of food, bread (made either of barley or wheat) is the main article in every meal for Palestinians. The Israelites were dependent upon bread so much so that the word "bread" (Lechem) become synonymous with food. They could not eat a meal without bread and so it is fair to say they could not survive without bread. Practically bread became the staff of life for the society at the time of Jesus (Ezekiel 4:16, 5:16). There is always a basket of freshly baked bread on the reclining (dining) table in the average household. A traveller in ancient Palestine will not leave home without taking bread sufficient for two days (cf. Mt. 15:32). To a people who really appreciate the value of bread, Jesus said in today's Gospel, "I am the bread of life..."
Beloved in Christ Jesus, Christ is the living bread; the mysterious manna that sustained us in the desert of life. He is the main source of nourishment for our souls. Like a people who depend entirely upon bread for their very survival, Jesus wishes to be the principal food and the main source of nourishment for us, His people.
As a consuming society and a society that is keen on eating well for nourishment and survival, we must reflect on the place of the Eucharist in our lives, for there is no better way to live a healthy and a meaningful life than to make Jesus Christ our source of nourishment. Like the Palestinians who will not eat any meal without bread, we must also learn how not to 'eat' anything without Jesus Christ. Jesus must become the staff of life for our society today.
May we become so much dependent on Jesus to the extent that we begin to realize that we cannot survive without Him in our lives.
PRAYER
Lord, you are the Bread of Life; be the Bread of my life. Amen.
May God bless you.
-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre
Sunday, June 11, 2023.
Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.
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