“St. John Marie Vianney Sunday”

READINGS:  Exodus 16: 2-4. 12-15 /  Psalm 78: 3-4. 23-25. 54 /  Ephesians 4: 17. 20-24  /  JOHN 6: 24-35

 

HIS WORD… AMEN, AMEN, I SAY TO YOU, YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ME NOT BECAUSE YOU SAW SIGNS BUT BECAUSE YOU ATE THE LOAVES AND WERE FILLED… DO NOT WORK FOR THE FOOD THAT PERISHES BUT FOR THE FOOD THAT ENDURES FOR ETERNAL LIFE, WHICH THE SON OF MAN WILL GIVE YOU…

my words… Every First Sunday of August is celebrated as the “St. John Marie Vianney Sunday” dedicated to remembering and honoring our priests in celebrating the feast of St. John Marie Vianney (actual feast is August 4), the patron saint of all priests (before, used to be patron saint of Parish Priests). So let us remember and love our priests and give them our prayers and support.

A “PARASITE” in the Wikipedia, is defined as an organism that lives on or in an organism of another species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains nutriment. Applied to human being, a “parasite” refers to a person who receives support, advantage, or the like, from another or others without giving any useful or proper return, like one who lives on the hospitality of others. In short, “parasite people” are people who habitually live at the expense of others. The foregoing idea may aptly describe the people during the time of Jesus. They were “parasite people” who loved to depend so much on dole-outs and would wish not to care to work anymore in order to live. They loved and craved for easy life. And this was the predominant mentality of the people who searched for Jesus, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” (Jn 6:25). They wanted Jesus to be their King for an easy life; they wanted to be fed by Jesus always for them to save in their economic needs. For Jesus can feed people without cost. What an easy life indeed! But Jesus did not want to spoil them… they still have to work for their food, their livelihood in order for them to live. And Jesus introduces a new way of doing it; “Do not work for the food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life” (Jn 6:27). What kind of food? It is a “Bread from Heaven” that gives life to the world (Jn 6:33).

Brothers and Sisters, blessed are we for we have come to believe that Jesus is the Bread of Life that gives life to the world, the food that endures for eternal life. And we renew this faith and understanding of Jesus every time we celebrate the HOLY MASS. In Holy Communion, we receive HIM, who is the Bread of Life for us that we may have eternal life in HIM.

Today is St. John Marie Vianney Sunday. We honor all our priests today. They are the only creatures here on earth who by the power of their word can transubstantiate the bread to become the Body of Christ, and the grape wine to become the Blood of Christ by virtue of the power of their Sacred Ordination that the Church had bestowed upon them. Let us pray for them that they may always be faithful in bringing Jesus to the people; and that through them, we may see JESUS, the Bread of Life.

MAY JESUS, THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN, BRING US TO ETERNAL LIFE… (By Fr. Julius C. Lupot)