The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fr. Christopher
"Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
"Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
We reprise Father's homily of August 15, 2021 for this week. Father celebrated his first Mass 48 years ago on the Feast of the Assumption.
Beneath all our hungers is our hunger for God. Jesus is God’s offer to satisfy that hunger. The faith and trust Jesus is inviting us to, is not an intellectual assent to dogma, or doctrine. The Discourse of the Bread of Life is not about propositions. It’s about Jesus.
There are things that make life possible. There are things that make life worth living. Food and water and shelter make human existence possible. But what makes life sweet, and beautiful, and rich? Today’s Gospel holds the clues.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that when God is present, when God acts, there is always enough. God brings light and life in our darkest moments.
Ours is a world drunk with power. Fear extinguishes the flame of virtue. The center of the universe is not God, but ourselves.
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. God had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose God is working out in everything and in everyone.
Fear and anxiety are human constructs, human obstacles when we lack what is necessary to bring forth the good in ourselves and the good in others.
In his homily for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Christopher delves into today’s readings, revealing the nature of Jesus’ power over evil, sickness and death.
“The presence of Christ within you makes for peace and all good, and makes you more aware of the people around you, […]
The theme of the Book of Job is not precisely suffering, but rather how to speak of God in the midst of suffering. What justifies Job’s humanity is that in spite of his suffering he was able to speak well of God.