Homily - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Monsignor Joseph K. Ntuwa • August 20, 2024

Homily - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 18, 2024

Readings: Proverbs 9:1-6; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58

Last week we heard about how the Jews murmured about Jesus saying, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They thought it was impossible for him to have come down from Heaven because they knew him as son of Joseph and Mary.

This week we hear that “The Jews quarreled among themselves,” because Jesus told them that he will give his “flesh for the life of the world.” This didn’t make sense to them. How could he do this? Even if he could, taking at face value, it would sound like cannibalism.

Jesus goes on to say that we must “drink his blood.” That too would seem repulsive. Speaking in terms of the Jewish law, Deuteronomy 12:23 prohibited the drinking of the blood of the animals. To do so was to take on the life force of the animal. This is exactly why we need to eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood but not in the sense that the Jews are thinking. We come to receive the Eucharist to become more like Jesus.

Before we fault the Jews for not getting this, we need to realize that they do not have the perspective that we have. We know what Jesus is talking about to be the Eucharist. The Jews knew nothing of the Eucharist as the bread of life. How could Jesus’ words to eat his flesh and drink his blood make sense to anyone except in the light of the Eucharist? So, some of the people left because they did not understand what Jesus meant.

I think the same is true today. Many of those who leave the Catholic Church do so because they don’t fully understand the mysteries of our faith. There is no clear and factual knowledge of how the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus. There is no change in what we see or the chemical make-up of the bread and wine.

That’s because the change does not happen on a physical level. We are called to believe in the mystery of the Eucharist not because of scientific evidence but because of Jesus’ own words at the Last Supper when he said, “this is my body….this is my blood.”

Next week we will again hear that many of the disciples left because they couldn’t understand. When Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave? Simon Peter answered, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” Peter didn’t understand but he did believe. We are called to do the same.

The real presence in the Eucharist is both a mystery and a gift. We come into the church from a physical world. In faith we are called to look beyond the physical. We may not understand the Real Presence in human terms. We might even struggle to understand what we hear in the readings at Mass. In order to get the best of what God offers us at Mass, I encourage you to put a little preparation into it. Look at the readings before or after Mass and ask God to help you understand. I encourage you to come early enough for Mass and recollect your thoughts to share in the sacred mysteries. Every time we come here Jesus plainly invites us: “Take this, all of you, and eat it. This is my Body which will be given up for you.”

I remember during my time at college, we began discussing faith with my friend Chris—who was not Catholic at the time— he asked me: “Do Catholics really believe that the Eucharist is Jesus Christ’s Body and Blood?” I told him that we did.

My friend was skeptical, but not because he had any scriptural or theological quibbles. Instead, he responded: “I want to believe that Jesus Christ is fully present in the Eucharist, but I have many friends who regularly attend mass! Yet I know how many of these people behave outside Mass. I don’t intend to pass judgment on anyone, but it seems hypocritical to say that Jesus Christ is truly with them and not live a life that reflects that.”

I often remember this conversation because I couldn’t argue with his logic. It provides a stark reminder that when we receive the Eucharist, we have Christ in us and are called to live accordingly. Therefore, we must recommit ourselves to living a life that reflects the graces we receive through the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Acknowledging Christ’s presence in the Eucharist goes beyond our time at Mass. Christ gave us his Body and Blood so we may become more like him and bring him to our workplaces, schools, and homes. How we live ought to reflect our belief that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist.

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July 29, 2025

17 th Sunday of the Year C Gen 18:20-32; Col 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13 Have you ever had conversations with people who have expressed a distaste for many of the beliefs and practices of organized religion ? Sometimes these criticisms come from people who have had “bad” religious experiences in their own families or have seen what they feel is an ugly side of faith. I understand that. Some others have been hurt and disappointed by the common failings and faults of some of the faithful in the pews. Many others have been particularly crushed by the serious sins of Church leadership. Yet, there are others who simply are trying to be intellectually honest --- people who have truly wrestled with some of the big questions of life and faith and have been relatively unsatisfied with the “answers” religion provides. They “want” to believe at some level but just find too many obstacles. And sometimes that “obstacle” is the image of God presented to them. One particular element of Christianity that I hear criticized so often is the way we seem to ask God for things over and over again. Many people assert that they just, don’t understand why it needs to be this way! They argue: God knows everything. God knows exactly what we need (and want). So why do we need to ask? God has infinite power . There are no limits to what he can do. We don’t have to try to get his “attention” because he is “busy” elsewhere. So why do we need to ask? God is immutable --- which means, unchanging and unchangeable . That means we kind of diminish God if we think we can somehow “ change” his mind. So why bother to pray if God has already written the script? Well, today, in both our First Reading and Gospel passage, we hear examples illustrating the power of pleading with God. In the story from Genesis, we see Abraham “bartering” with God --- seeing if he can somehow get the best “deal” possible. Apparently, Abraham is wise enough to not ask for everything all at once, as if he’s using his charm to coax God’s mercy out of him. God goes along with each of his requests. And in the Gospel passage from Luke --- Jesus tells a story about a man banging on his friend’s door at midnight trying to get some bread for an unexpected guest. The friend initially refuses, but then gets worn down from the persistence of the man and gives in. After relating that story, Jesus utters these “famous” words, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” So, what gives? Do we have to “beg” God to get his blessings or does God actually withhold good things from us until we “wear him down”? Do we have to be expert negotiators, or charmers? Dear friends, an authentic spiritual life is about none of those things. It’s about a relationship supported, strengthened and transformed in part by a holy conversation --- what we call the divine conversation. This is a conversation that has no beginning and no ending, but rather is one that has been continual from the very dawn of time --- a sacred conversation which enables channels of grace to remain open within every single person --- a kind of listening and speaking that helps each of us remain open to an outpouring of God’s life which has the power to change absolutely everything. And so, we bring our needs to our God because we believe he loves us more than we can imagine, because we trust in his wisdom and power, because we need to put into words the deepest longings of our hearts. And maybe most importantly --- we ask, seek, and knock simply because it opens us up to every good thing God wants for us (and from us). Prayer encourages dependence on God and today’s parable shows us perseverance. We do not “keep knocking” because God isn’t aware of our needs but, rather, because we need to remain constantly aware of our daily need for him – our daily bread. Whenever we turn to God in prayer, we put our minds and hearts in contact with the very source of life and truth. And that refreshes the human soul, just as rebooting your computer refreshes the software that makes the computer run. When stress, discouragement, and frustration start to clog our circuits, we don't need to jack up the voltage by working more hours or by distracting ourselves with even more exciting entertainment; no, we need to reboot, we need to pray with perseverance. When you pray say” “Behold, I am your servant, do with and in and through me according to your will” In happy moments, seek God, in hard moments praise God, in quiet moments, trust God, in every moment, thank God. Lord Jesus, teach us to pray.

Homily - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time