18th Sunday in Ordinary Time & The Holy Ghost comic

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's MP3 of the Readings and Homily from Our Lady of the Angels Church.

Readings and Commentary for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time,from the New St. Joseph Sunday Missal

Theme: The Lord gave them Bread from Heaven
...We should develop a feeling for symbolism since it plays such an important role in religion. Water, bread, wine, salt, yeast, fire, light, rain, dew, thunder, lightning - time and again these are used to impart a message and when properly understood they do so more efficiently than theoretical concepts can do. Symbolism contains an intuitive (suggestive) power that appeals not only to the intellect but to the total person, heart and mind.
Today's readings utilize the power of symbolism of bread to bring out the message that god wants to feed us, to take care of us on all levels of human existence. "The Lord gave them bread from heaven" (the Responsorial Psalm)

First Reading: Ex 16:2-4, 12-15 [God gives Mannah from Heaven]
Commentary on first reading from the Sunday Missal:

God's word in this tradition brings out to us that graowing toward maturity in Christ is a lifetime process. As long as we are a pilgrim Church, wandering through the desert of life, we must work hard to attain such maturity. But God is with us, providing us manna (bread) and quail (meat), in other words, giving us whatever in his infinite wisdom and love he knows we need.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 78 [Heavenly Bread]
R: The Lord gave them bread from Heaven

Second Reading: Eph 4:17, 20-24 [A New Self]
Commentary on second reading from the Sunday Missal:

"This is not how you learned Christ." Note that Paul does not say "how you learned about Christ". No, you learned Christ whom you accepted as a person in faith, with all the values that he stands for.
Christianity is not primarily a doctrine to go by; it is a person-to-person relationship with our Lord. Partaking in the Eucharist, the bread of life, should help us to "learn Christ" ever more intimately.

Alleluia: Mt 4:4b
Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Jn 6:24-35 [Christ is the True Bread of Heaven]
Commentary on the Gospel reading from the Sunday Missal:

Jesus states that he is the mannah, the bread of life, from heaven that human beings need on their way through life. Feeding the crowd was a sign that those who had eaten did not understand. Patiently, our Lord explains: "Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life... I am the bread of life."
We should be aware if this whenever we encounter our Lord in the signs of bread and wine.
The Prayer after Communion states " Lord, you give us the stregnth of new life by the gift of the eucharist. Protect us with your love and prepare us for eternal redemption".