Readings and Themes for the Week of June 06, 2010

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of June 06, 2010,
Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Reading I Genesis 14:18-20

Over bread and wine, the mysterious Melchizedek blessed the Lord.

Psalm 110

"You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek."

Reading II Corinthians 11:23-26

Every time we eat the Lord's body and drink his blood, we proclaim his life giving death.

Gospel Luke 9:11b-17

The feeding of the multitudes.

THEME:

Jesus continues to offer himself to us and feed us in the Holy Eucharist.

The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes stands as a reminder to us of the abundance of God’s generosity. As we listen to this remarkable story, let us ask God to do what may seem impossible to us, just as the feeding of the multitudes seemed impossible to the disciples. The things that seem so out of reach---world peace, justice of the oppressed, ood for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, an end to terrorism----can become a reality when we become what today’s festival calls us to become: the very body of Christ sent forth to a hungry world.

Questions of the week

Question for Children:

How can you share what you have received from Jesus with others this week?

Question for Youth:

Each week when we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, we are asked to "do this in remembrance of me".

How else do you acknowledge the importance of Jesus in your life?

Through prayer? Through the ways that you treat others?

Question for Adults:

How can you prepare yourself to be nourished by Jesus in the Eucharist this week?

Bulletin Bites

“He said the blessing over them (the fishes and the loaves), broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd." Luke 9:11b-17

None of the Gospels tells the exact details of how four or five thousand men, plus women and children, are fed with a few loaves and two fish. The Church teaches us that the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish was a prefiguration of the Body and Blood of Jesus. But let us consider another miracle, just as great. Jesus knew the Semitic ethic that required people to share with others. He knew people carried food and wine under their garments, but refrained from taking it out for fear others had not brought their own. Note that Jesus blessed the loaves and fish and gave them away. He did not keep any for himself. Did people see his generous act and decide to share what they had with one another? In the context of God’s gifts to us of reason and free will—the ability to choose to be generous or not to be generous, what is the greater miracle: multiplication of loaves and fish, or multiplication of generous hearts? Which makes us a greater witness to the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist?

Summer Expressions

Think back to the time(s) you first felt loved. How did you notice the feeling? What circumstances gave you the awareness of another’s care and connection to you? How has your sense of being loved grown over time? Using your personal experiences, in what ways do you show others your care and love in daily life and in special ways?