Reflections
Psalm 78: 3-4, 23-24, 25, 54 (Read)
“The Lord gave them bread from heaven.”
Our Psalm this Sunday is once again
about our spiritual and physical food
that we receive from the Lord.
Just as the Israelites of old were fed
when the Lord “rained down manna
upon them for food,” so too we are fed
today with the body and blood of our Savior
in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
But are we worthy? Are we deserving
of this heavenly food, that comes to us
through the passion of our Lord,
the sacrifice of God's only Son?
Over and over again our spiritual ancestors
turned away from God and were deceitful
despite the “glorious deeds of the Lord
and the wonders that he wrought” on their behalf.
Must we too be chastised before
we repent and turn back to God?
Our own history isn't much different
from that of our ancestors –
a cycle of divine grace; followed by ingratitude;
then punishment; then renewed generosity.
We are obliged to repeat the history
of our ancestors, and in the end we are
at the mercy of God. In fact, without His grace
where would we obtain our 'daily bread'?
Do we grumble until our prayers are answered?
Do we persist in putting God to the test?
Are we grateful for the food we receive
from the Lord? Or are we quick to forget
what the Lord has done for us?
St Paul tells us that we really do need
to repent and that we should “put away
the old self of our former way of life,
corrupted through deceitful desires, and
put on the new self.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
And having repented, we are ready
to receive that precious bread from heaven.
Like the crowd at Capernaum (John 6: 34-35),
we plead with Jesus to give of Himself
to us each day, so that we may eat of
the bread of life and never hunger again.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist promises, "We will declare to the generation
to come the glorious deeds of the Lord." What part have you played
in passing on your faith to the next generation?
2. Our Psalm speaks of the Lord bringing His people to "His holy land,
to the mountains His right hand has won." What does it take for you
to be able to climb the mountain of the Lord?
I’ve been on the remote windswept plains of the “altiplano” in Peru, and there’s not much there to eat. We picked up a native boy with a serious eye infection, and stopped at an American religious center around dinner time. The boy ate everything on his plate, and when given “seconds,” he finished everything, and when I commented on it, I was told that was typical…….they continue eating until they hear the spoon/ladle scraping the cooking pot. Then the food is over until ????? It might be tomorrow, maybe a couple of days, maybe??????? So, they’ve learned to gorge while food is available. I’ve been hungry, but never starving. I thank the Lord that I have always had “enough." Praise the Lord!
ReplyDelete