August 8, 2021

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Living in Christ: Source of True Life ”

Homily by Fr. Erel Villanueva

First Reading – 1 Kings 19 : 1 – 8

Second Reading – Ephesians 4 : 25 – 32

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 34 : 1- 10

Gospel Reading – John 6 : 41 – 51

In today’s gospel, Jesus told the Jews (and us) that He is the Bread of Life that comes down from heaven. This is a kind of food that gives us everlasting life if we “eat it” or believe it.

This is the food that He want us to work for. The kind of food that makes us to surrender and do His will. Food for our spiritual journey.

In last week’s scripture, He was the Bread of Heaven at the Table of the Word, and now He is the living bread in the Table of the Lord in the Eucharist.

He wants us to know that He is the bread of life that would give “life” to the world. In verse 51: He emphasized that He is the Living Bread and the bread that He will give is His flesh/body. This refers to His sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection.

In His finished work on the cross, He gives “life” to the world. Life means salvation of all mankind. Salvation means deliverance from evil.

By His grace, He forgives and delivers us from death as penalty of our sins. As we have faith in His redeeming work, we receive new life, an everlasting and divine life. We don’t need to wait to die and experience everlasting life, we can experience everlasting life today here on earth.

We received divine life during baptism and through the growth of our faith in Him. That divine life in us will continue to flow in us as we continue to “eat” His Word (read, meditate and obey), do prayer and intercession, worship, partake of His body and blood in the eucharist, and being a blessing to others.

By doing these we become a an instrument of bringing life to the world. When we bring love, faith, hope, healing and compassion to others especially in this pandemic, it is an evidence that divine life that flows in us.

Our prayers, worship, and obedience – individually and collectively as a church, bring light, fight spiritual battles, and proclaim the presence of God in this darkness – thus bringing healing and hope to the people. We prove that the Church is the life of the world, and the Divine life in us is greater than death and fear around us.

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