We are truly united in through the Body and Body of Christ
Reflections on the readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 29, 2018): 2 KGS 4:42-44; PS 145:10-11,15-16,17-18; EPH 4:1-6; JN 6:1-15
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
The readings for this Sunday remind us that God is deeply concerned about the welfare of His people, body and soul.
He wants us to cherish His superabundant generosity and to strive to be worthy followers of Christ. St. Paul told the Christians of Ephesus that they were bound together with their Lord and with one another. “Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit” (Ephesians 4:1-4). God wants each of us to draw ever closer to Him. But we do not do this strictly as individuals. Rather, we are a community of faith, hope and love, supporting each other in our spiritual growth even as we have an obligation to tend to the material concerns of our brothers and sisters in need.
We must gratefully welcome the precious gift of the Body and Blood of Christ. And we must also understand that all who believe in Him and receive the Eucharist are united in a special way by this Blessed Sacrament and life-giving holy sustenance.
Suggested missionary action: Let us consider the words of St. Paul and choose to put these virtues into active practice this week: humility, gentleness, patience, love, and peace. We can ask the Holy Spirit’s guidance in treating those we meet with His holy mercy.