Vol. 36 No. 43                                                            Cycle B                             18th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR                                     I am the bread of life. ENTRANCE ANTIPHON God, come to my help. Lord, quickly give me assistance. You are the one who helps me and sets me free: Lord, do not be long in coming. PENITENTIAL RITE The liturgy of today reminds us of God’s plan for humanity. Despite our infidelity and ingratitude, God continues to be faithful offering us all that we need so that we can maintain the original status in which we are created. Recognizing our failures and frailties, with the assistance of Jesus, our bread of life, let us be renewed in spirit and mind, asking God’s mercy and forgiveness. I confess... Glory to God... OPENING PRAYER Let us pray: Father of everlasting goodness, our origin and guide, be close to us and hear the prayers of all who praise you. Forgive our sins and restore us to life. Keep us safe in your love. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. FIRST READING (Israelites murmured against Moses and against God, who, they said, had brought them to die in the wilderness. God answered their complaint by giving them each day bread and meat to eat. The profound desires of human beings can only be satisfied by the Lord who provides.) A reading from the Book of Exodus (16: 2-4, 12-15) The whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion everyday, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not. “I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God’.” In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (Ps 77) Response: The Lord gave them bread from heaven. The things we have heard and understood, the things our fathers have told us, we will tell to the next generation: the glories of the Lord and his might. R./ He commanded the clouds above and opened the gates of heaven. He rained down manna for their food, and gave them bread from heaven. R./ Mere men ate the bread of angels. He sent them abundance of food. He brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won. R./ SECOND READING (St Paul urges the Ephesian converts to live according to their new status as adopted children of God in true righteousness and holiness. The way of life of a Christian is to be marked by a renewal of mind and spirit) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians (4:17, 20-24) This I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. You did not so learn Christ! – assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Jn 17: 17) Alleluia, Alleluia! Your word is truth, O Lord, sanctify us in the truth. Alleluia! GOSPEL (St John gives the long discourse on the Eucharist which our Lord delivered to the multitude at Capernaum on the day after the miracle of the loaves. Jesus is the bread of life and he who eats of this bread will live for ever.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John (6: 24-35) When the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’.” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.” “They said to him, Lord, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the holy catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray to our heavenly Father, that like Christ we may be willing to sacrifice our lives for others. With trust let us pray for the needs of the Church and the world, saying: Response: Lord, give us this day our daily bread and satisfy our hunger. 1. We pray for Pope, Bishops, Clergy and all the Eucharistic Ministers; deepen their faith in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and make them instruments of your grace and love. R./ 2. We pray for all who suffer from lack of food; show them your care and move our hearts to share our wealth and resources with the poor and the hungry. R./ 3. We pray for all Christians; may the words of your divine Son Jesus always ring in our hearts: “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life”. Help us to live always for eternity as our goal of life and store up riches for ourselves in heaven. R./ 4. We pray for our parish community and neighbourhood; unite us in love, teach us to be compassionate and care for one another. R./                                 (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for sustaining us in life and providing us with all good things. May our participation in the Eucharist empower us to love, to share and reach out to the poor and hungry. We ask this through… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Merciful Lord, make holy these gifts, and let our spiritual sacrifice make us an everlasting gift to you. We ask this... PREFACE (P 31) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. We see your infinite power in your loving plan of salvation. You came to our rescue by your power as God, but you wanted us to be saved by one like us. Man refused your friendship, but man himself was to restore it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him the angels of heaven offer their prayer of adoration as they rejoice in your presence forever. May our voices be one with theirs in their triumphant hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON You gave us bread from heaven. Lord: a sweet-tasting bread that was very good to eat. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, you give us the strength of new life by the gift of the Eucharist. Protect us with your love and prepare us for eternal redemption. We ask this...                                                     Liturgy & Life The salvation story clearly reveals God’s plan for humanity. God envisages human beings in communion with Him and with one another. What characterised the life of our first parents were the same—love, freedom and joy in the presence of God. This is the ideal situation of human beings which St Paul depicts in the second reading as “created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness”. As the salvation story unfolds human beings abuse their freedom and lose their friendship with God. The life of Israelites in Egypt is a symbol of this slavery. Israelites had to struggle through the desert for long forty years. The Promised Land seemed to them very near, yet very far. They had to experience the hardships of heat, cold, hunger and thirst. They did not have a permanent home. Insecurity characterised their daily life. In their difficulties, they forgot their history of struggles and the mighty hand of God in liberating them. They begin to murmur against God and Moses. The First Reading of today reminds us this tendency of human beings to forget history. Not withstanding the complaints of human beings and their forgetfulness of their past, God sends His only Son so that humanity is freed from their sins. By His death and resurrection, those who believed in him have been purified from their slavery of sin. And they are clothed with a new self as St Paul portrays in the Second Reading. The liturgy of today is inviting us to maintain that self which we have received through His death and resurrection. For that we must continue to receive Jesus the bread of life. The reception of Jesus, the bread of life in our life and the maintenance of our original self is a life-long process. In order to do this, the readings of today suggest: First of all, we must recognise the privileged state of life with which God created us. We are created in the image and likeness of God. Secondly, own our responsibility for our present condition. We cannot blame others and the circumstances for the present condition of our sinfulness, but our unwillingness to learn and change. Even when we say that we want to change, we do all that is possible to remain the same and to remain where we are. Thirdly, recognise that freedom carries with it responsibility as well. Commitment to freedom would require renouncing certain privileges which would rightfully be ours. St Paul depicts it as “you should not live as the Gentiles live”. Fourthly, do not forget the great things that the Lord has done through out our lives. Remembrance is a sign of gratitude. Israelites committed the sin of nostalgia, that is remembering only the good things while conveniently ignoring the unpleasant, thus living in the past. Fifthly, we must put an end consciously to our tendency to seek immediate satisfaction and thus destroying the ultimate satisfaction. Jesus expresses it when he said, “do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures”. Finally, remember that God is ever faithful and He will fulfil his plans for humanity. In order to fulfil his plans, God offers us more than what we need. Living in the past, and focusing on things we lack, we fail to see the great gifts that the Lord is offering us. —Fr Devasia Puthiyaparambil, ssp    August 2009  READINGS OF THE WEEK Psalter Week 2 3 Mon (G) Num 11:4-15; Ps 80:12-13,14-15,16; Mt 14:13-21 4 Tue (W) St John Vianney (mem) Num 12:1-13; Ps 50:3-4,5-6ab,6cd-7,12-13; Mt 14:22-36 5 Wed (W) Dedication of the Basilica of St mary Major, Num 13:1-2,25-14:1,26-29,34-35; Ps 105:6-7ab,13-14,21-22,23; Mt 15:21-28 6 Thu (W) THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD (Fst) Dan 7:9-10,13-14 or 2 Pt 1:16-19; Ps 96:1-2,5-6,9; Mk 9:2-10 7 Fri (W) St Cajetan, Deut 4:32-40; Ps 76:12-13,14-15,16&21; Mt 16:24-28 8 Sat (W) St Dominic (mem) Deut 6:4-13; Ps 17:2-3a,3bc-4,47&51ab; Mt 17:14-20