Be Re-Energized!

Homily – August 9, 2015 (The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - B)

Readings: 1 Kings 19:4-8; Psalm 34:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9; Ephesians 4:30-5:2; John 6:41-51

I want to begin today with the simple, straight forward, and challenging invitation from today’s readings: Taste and see the goodness of the Lord, for Christ’s flesh is given for the life of the world; that is, may you be nourished by Him, so that you might imitate Him in the giving of yourself to others!

Summer is winding down, and we’re all gearing back up to continue our walk as Church in our journey of faith. The rest that you might have been blessed with in a beach trip, or a series of nice relaxing summer evenings with family and friends, is certainly more relaxing than what the Prophet Elijah had to endure to regain his energy, but the point seems quite evident: God loves us… God guides us… and God feeds us, so that we might continue on our journey towards Him.

There are three examples of this journey that I’d like for us to consider. The first we see play out in front of us, day after day. In a moment, during our Prayers of the Faithful, we will pray for those who are sick, and in need of God’s healing touch. While I’m not sure how many actual prophets are in our midst, I do know that there are many in our community that have had a tough journey thus far. Some have been working very hard to either get back into the work force after losing a job, or have had to deal with an unexpected personal illness, or are caring for a parent or family member. Many here know what its like to experience the unexpected not-so-good surprises that life throws us every now and then, leading us to even feel the same as Elijah, saying, “[Alright, that’s] enough O Lord!” But our prayer is not that we be spared of illness, or other unexpected surprises; no, we pray that we are open to the Lord’s healing touch and recognize the “broom trees” that could give us shade now and then, or that we see the angels sent by God in loving families, and the care and compassion that comes from those who visit and serve the sick. In this example, some very special people are imitating Christ and bringing life into the world by the giving of themselves to others in their witness of courage, patience and grace under pressure!

A second example has played out in the Word of the Lord over the Summer. Earlier last month, when we last heard from the Gospel of Mark, we saw Jesus looking at the the vast crowd that had begun to follow him, and “his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; [so] he began to teach them many things.” Since the early Summer, the Gospel has been calling us to understand and accept what it means to become an authentic disciple, or true follower of Christ. He taught us to go out and freely share the Good News, and if it is not received, he told us to shake off the dust and keep moving on. In today’s First Reading, Elijah was dejected because he had been wrestling with a society that wanted both God and the man-made gods that had become a part of that society… And yes, this sounds familiar, because today's world, and our living in these days and times is absolutely no different! We all have bowed down to our little gods of phones, Facebook, and the like! It would seem that he had shaken off plenty of dust from his sandals during his journey, and had all but given up. That’s when the angel of the one true God brought him food and said to Elijah, “Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!” He got up, and headed for the mountain of God!

Then a few weeks ago we began breaking open the Gospel of John’s “Bread of Life Discourse” The Apostles had been out on their initial journeys to spread the joy of the Gospel, but had come home to find the crowds on their own journey, growing in numbers. Jesus fed the 5000 with just five loaves and two fish… When the people saw the sign he had done, [and heard his teaching], they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” Maybe that saw this as the promised return of Elijah, so they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Which brings us to today, as Jesus answers their request with this: “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” In this example, of course, the Apostles imitated Christ and brought His life to the world, as they followed His Way, and withstood the challenges to allow the Gospel to come alive, and work through the Church!

Finally, the third example is this journey right here in our Parish. Like our ancestors in the desert, or the crowds following the Lord, we too journey together, and reach the point where we can no longer do things on our own, and must ask for help! This is when the Lord finds us, feeds us and refreshes us…

The God who loves us, commands that we love one another! And like your ancestors, that love frees us from bondage and sets us forth on a journey towards God’s Promise. The God who guides us on this journey, as he did through his angel visiting Elijah, reassures us He is the Shepherd that leads the way. And today, the God who feeds us in the living bread of His Son Jesus Christ, has come down from heaven to sustain us, nourish us, and lift us up to continue on our journey.

So we as parish, like we hear in today’s Psalm, come together seeking the Lord, finding answers in the Word! But in that seeking, we not only find answers, we are found by Christ and fed by his body and blood, sustaining us and refreshing us, so that at the end of Mass, we can say and plan to “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and one another.”

So now that our journey has brought us here, to once again be found by Christ, and receive Him as real food, come down from heaven, May we BE RE-ENERGIZED and be strengthened to SERVE! For it is no accident today that the Parish Pastoral Council is hosting its annual Ministry Fair, offering you an opportunity to reaffirm your place in serving and participating in one of our 68 Ministry Opportunities. Don’t say you’re too young, or too old, or too busy; and certainly don’t use the excuse that you’re not good enough, or you don’t know how…

For God’s sake, this is the church, so let’s be honest: None of us are good enough just yet, nor will any of us ever know enough, so that’s why we come, and that’s why we seek, that’s why we learn, and that's why we're fed!  We need to allow Christ, the living bread, and flesh for the life of the world to live in us, and live through us, so that we may share this life of Christ with all who need it.

PS: While in and of itself it does not relate, this song by Rich Mullins would be a great illustration of our hero, the Prophet Elijah, and all that transpired AFTER that visit, the hearth cake, and the re-energizing that came that day in the desert, under that broom tree.  (cf. 1 Kings 19: 4-8) When we give up, get fed, and get back up... We can do some amazing things!  Keep walking towards that mountain of God... You won't be sorry!

Elijah

by Rich Mullins

The Jordan is waiting for me to cross through 

My heart is aging I can tell 

So Lord, I'm begging 

For one last favor from You 

Here's my heart take it where You will 

This life has shown me how we're mended 

And how we're torn 

How it's okay to be lonely as long as you're free 

Sometimes my ground was stoney 

And sometimes covered up with thorns 

And only You could make it what it had to be 

And now that it's done 

Well, if they dressed me like a pauper 

Or if they dined me like a prince 

If they lay me with my fathers 

Or if my ashes scatter on the wind 

I don't care 

CHORUS: 

But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah 

With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire 

And when I look back on the stars 

Well, It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park 

And it won't break my heart to say goodbye 

There's people been friendly 

But they'd never be your friends 

Sometimes this has bent me to the ground 

Now that this is all ending 

I want to hear some music once again 

'Cause it's the finest thing I have ever found 

But the Jordan is waiting 

Though I ain't never seen the other side 

They say you can't take in 

The things you have here 

So on the road to salvation 

I stick out my thumb and He gives me a ride 

And His music is already falling on my ears 

There's people been talking 

They say they're worried about my soul 

Well, I'm here to tell you I'll keep rocking 

'Til I'm sure it's my time to roll 

And when I do 

CHORUS(2x)