Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining. (Gospel ).

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1 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining. (Gospel ). Gospel Book of Otto III, c. 1100: Feeding of the th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B July 29 th, 2012

2 First Reading: 2 Kings 4: A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, Give it to the people and let them eat. 43 But his servant said, How can I set this before a hundred people? So he repeated, Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, They shall eat and have some left. 44 He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord. Responsive Psalm 145:10-18: 10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. 11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, 12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendour of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. 14 The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Second Reading: Ephesians 4: 1-6 4I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

3 Gospel Reading: John 6:1-15 6After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat? 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, Six months wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter s brother, said to him, 9 There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people? 10 Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost. 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world. 15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. Homily: The First Reading is a final story about the prophet Elisha, whose master was the better known Elijah; Elisha was his successor in the ninth century BCE. 1 Elijah was a prophet whom the Jews associated with the final age to come, where the greatness of his era would be restored. Some have understood Jesus at the cross to be calling Elijah, because the ongoing events were so ominous, suggesting the end of an age, but another interpretation is that he was calling for restoration. Elijah and Elisha are known as prophets of action as contrasted with others who were known as prophets of the word. Their stories follow a pattern where a problem is described, followed by tension, after which the prophet comes up with an answer. Both Elijah and Elisha miraculously resolved food shortages, perhaps as a recurrent theme culminating in the Eucharist in the NT. In this case, there were one hundred companions of Elisha who were hungry, and a man brought a mere twenty barley loaves from the first fruits of barley; normally this would be a priest s portion. But the famine had been going on for quite awhile, so they were extremely hungry, and this paltry resource only heightened the tension. The servant has doubts but Elisha highlights the good will of the donor and confirms it with a word from God, meaning in time of famine, be generous, share, and there will even be leftovers. We see this in the well-known NT story of the loaves and the fishes. 1 Harold A. Buetow (2001). All Things Made New: Homily Reflections for Sundays and Holy Days: Cycle B. NY: Alba House, pages

4 The Gospel of John is recognized not to have been derived from the other three gospels. We know, for example, that Mark was probably the earliest Gospel and parts of Mark are incorporated into both Luke and Matthew, but John was derived from an independent tradition. It is considered the last of the four, emerging about CE. It contains some very ancient components but also creatively elaborates on stories from its own sources. But the story in today s Gospel is one of few that is told by all four gospels [Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 16:32-44; Luke 9:10-17]. It is believed that Jesus question to Philip was original to him: How are we to buy bread so that these people may eat? His apparent lack of knowledge about this was perhaps embarrassing to early scribes so an editorial comment follows, He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Why was Philip picked for this question? He was experienced in these matters because he responded that two hundred days wages would not buy enough for this size crowd of people. He was from Bethsaida, the capital of Gaulanitis located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. And its name means fishing village, so he was exactly the person to ask since he would be aware of local resources and costs. The second person mentioned in the story, Andrew, brings forth the small lunch volunteered by a little boy to Jesus. Perhaps his place in the story is to say that whatever we have, if we offer it in faith, it will be used. The little boy, whose lunch was offered, could have eaten his food himself, taken it back home, or sold it off in the crowd, but he cooperated in offering it to Jesus, and as far as he knew, if he gave up his lunch, he wouldn t get anything back. The words of Jesus taking bread, giving thanks and distributing it reflect the Eucharist which is a special kind of bread, one which we need just as much for our spiritual life as physical bread is needed for bodily survival. While the Passover commemorated the desert experience where the people were fed with manna from heaven, John s Jesus took, gave thanks, and distributed which are the same words used in Last Supper accounts. 2 The Eucharist renews our awareness of the deepest levels of our human needs, and it makes us companions or literally bread-sharers, the abundance being God s promise to us. It is not just for us to be fed, but for us to then become Christ in the world. We are reminded of St. Augustine s words at the Eucharist: Be what you see; receive what you are. The Body of Christ. We recall also the overflowing supply of wine at Cana, and the promise of water that would quench one s deepest thirst to the Samaritan woman at the well. The overall picture is that God is generous to us in his love and we, in turn, are called go out to feed and serve others. This can be taken literally, and it can also be understood metaphorically, that is, to discern and recognize those deep spiritual needs that people seldom give voice to, and to speak them and to be Christ to others. 2 Gerald S. Sloyan (2004). Preaching from the Lectionary: An Exegetical Commentary. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, Pages

5 Elisha fed a crowd with a few loaves. And there were leftovers. Just as you did, Lord Miraculous. Then there s breathing in and breathing out, and the moon in the night and the sun in the day. You don t forget roses, gravity, and insects. And could there ever be a better miracle than friendship? Ultimate Friend, you fill our lives with miracles. Please open our miraculous eyes and help us see your gifts and you. On the mountain through the loaves and the fishes, you made them one in the sharing of the food. Through bread and wine, your body and blood, come to us; make us one Prayers only. Copyright 2012, Anne M. Osdieck. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.

6 Study Notes: Gospel of John: The Jewish Annotated NT 3 suggests that this story reflects a postdestruction (70 CE) perspective when it was no longer possible to go to the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus does not go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem in this story but stays in Galilee where others come to him instead of going to the Temple, in fulfillment of his prophecy to the Samaritan woman (4:21). The gathering of the fragments also follows the Exodus account of the Hebrews in the desert, fed daily but also gathering two days work to avoid work on the Sabbath. The twelve baskets may correspond to either the number of Jewish tribes or the number of Jesus apostles. From the Gospel of John s point of view, worshiping in the Temple may no longer be possible or perhaps was viewed as no longer necessary with the coming of Jesus, the Messiah-King. Announcements: Mass as usual this Sunday: I had to cancel last Sunday due to being very sick, but as I write this, I am doing a little bit better. So, coffee at 10:30 AM, Mass at 11, and lunch afterward. As far as I am aware now, we will hold Mass as usual on 8/5 and 8/12. August 19: I will be co-leading the St. Matt s Women s Retreat with Rev. Janine Stock+ of the All Saints Church in Vista, CA. It will be in the mountains so there will not be a Mass this week; Deacon Nancy will also be at that retreat, so, boys, I commend St. Matt s to you this week, where you and all the boys can be together haha! September 2: I will be in Phoenix this weekend for an incardination of a priest and her congregation into the ECC. Jetty and I will be driving to Phoenix with Bp. +Peter, and I will be returning with him on September 3 rd, but Jetty will remain until August 26 th. She will be leading retreat/studies at a Hispanic church, one for adults and one for children, in addition to music ministry with Rev. Elaine Groppenbacher+ at three ECC congregations each weekend. She returns from AZ on 9/26/12. Jetty s Travels: We at St. Junia s House very much appreciate the $90 we have received from two donors toward Jetty s ministry expenses. An opportunity just popped up where the Bishop asked her to travel with him to the ECC Colorado communities leaving on 9/27/12. So we had to act quickly to get tickets and so we have purchased them, as well as the cost for her return trip from Arizona on 9/26/12. The previous donations we have received covered the AZ expenses. While in AZ, she will be ministering to a Hispanic church over a two week period; she has prepared Spanish language songs for them and is now preparing her presentations on what is happiness and how to achieve it from a biblical perspective. We are now praying for another $240 to cover the CO costs. The Colorado communities were among the largest donors for the Bishop s trip to Europe last September, when 3 Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler (2011). The Jewish Annotated New Testament: New Revised Standard Version Bible Translation. NY Oxford University Press.

7 those new European communities were brought into the ECC; and the folks in CO will be very interested in meeting someone who is an ECC member from Europe. Jetty will minister in music and in answering questions that our people there have about the ECC missions in Europe. Her mission here in the states is important. Please be aware that she funds her international travel out of her own pocket so it is my feeling that the U.S. communities benefiting from her ministries need to help fund her U.S travels. The various communities have offered great hospitality for her upkeep while she is with them. But we are short on travel costs. So please pray for us about these important missions and consider what you can do to help.

July 29, 2018 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

July 29, 2018 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) FIRST READING 2 Kings 4:42 44 A reading from the second book of Kings One day a man from the town of Baal Shalishah came with some food for Elisha. The man brought him twenty loaves of barley bread that