THE FOOD THAT LASTS

HOMILY, SUNDAY 18^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

Isaiah 55:1-3, Matthew 14:13-21.

The mouth of the soul is an open ear. The ear feeds on real food which comes from the mouth of the Lord. We do not need a full stomach to face our life challenges, but with a well informed mind, we can scale through the huddles of life.  The body craves for the perishable things on earth. The word of God brings about real satisfaction for our souls. The Lord said in today’s first reading,

“Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live, and I will make you an everlasting covenant,”

Truly, without God’s values we cannot survive the times of trouble. In this time of Covid 19 pandemic, the world has learnt that, there is more to human existence than science and technology. Almost everybody is panting for breath. As long as we listen to the rule of hygiene and we put our trust in God, our life will always be kept safe in the midst of the gravest pandemic.

In the second reading, Paul said,

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

When look up to God and delight in his word, if we seek his kingdom and its righteousness, he adds all other things unto us. We read in today’s gospel, how Jesus, having fed the crowd with the word, he equally provided them with physical food.

“Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and two fish he looked up t heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.”

God cares for our spiritual needs as well as our physical, but the former comes before the latter. Let us submit ourselves to God that we may be taught from above. We are expected to pay attention to his invitations. If we put our trust in him, he will never fail us. If we put him first, he will never desert us in our days of troubles. He will set our foundation firm.

PRAYER

Draw near to your servants, O Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness, that, for those who glory in you as their creator and guide, you may restore what you have created and keep safe what you have restored. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.