Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Deacon's Bench

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Homily for August 9, 2015: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily for August 9, 2015: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Last updated on: August 8, 2015 at 6:44 am by Deacon Greg Kandra

Homily for August 9, 2015: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2015-08-08T06:44:09-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This Sunday we continue with John’s gospel and the “Bread of Life discourse.” We hear once more how Jesus sustains, uplifts and feeds us in ways that offer the promise of eternal life. “I am the bread of life,” he tells his followers. “I am the living bread come down from heaven.” It’s a message of reassurance and hope.

But the readings this Sunday start out with a very different scene: we begin in the Book of Kings, in the desert, with a starving prophet, Elijah, embarking on a difficult journey and pleading for death. Miraculously, God feeds him. He is given food and strength for his journey.

The road is often long and painful. But God provides.

Reading and praying over this scripture this week, I found myself thinking of others who have embarked on a difficult journey through the desert—and who have also been sustained by faith in God’s mercy, and trust in his boundless love.

I remembered, in particular, a woman I know: Sister Maria Hanna.

I have spoken of her in the past. She is a Dominican Sister of St. Catherine of Siena, based in Iraq. Exactly one year ago, August 6, 2014, she and her sisters were forced to flee from their convent in Quaraquosh, Iraq – joining tens of thousands of Christians literally running for their lives from the horror and brutality that is ISIS.

They settled in Erbil, sleeping in open fields, sometimes beside open sewers. They lived in tents or unfinished buildings, often with no privacy. They met in basements or prefabricated huts with families to pray the rosary. Somehow, they held on to hope. Their mission was very simple: to minister to all the others who were suddenly homeless and displaced—to be for them the face, hands, and arms of Jesus. In spite of the fear and uncertainty around them, they wanted to help them “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

Last month, Sister Maria Hanna marked this tragic anniversary with an open letter to her friends around the world

“It was not easy to accept the fact that we were displaced people,” she wrote, “almost abandoned by the Iraqi and Kurdish governments whose initiatives and acts were not up to the level we expected. The church took the responsibility for us, trying to gather and support the internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were scattered all over the region of Kurdistan.”

Sister described distributing blankets, mattresses, milk and shoes to some 10,000 families. They opened two kindergartens; a year later, they’re now preparing to open a primary school. The aim throughout, she wrote, is to show the love and care of the church.

**But they weren’t quite prepared for all the stress and hardship involved.**Ten of her sisters, most of them in their 70s, died in the span of three months.

“Despite that,” she wrote “our ministry continues to be strengthened by the Lord, who blesses our efforts no matter how modest they are. Being occupied with such projects, we do not forget our mission to preach the word of God for our troubled people.”

And she explained what that means, in words that moved me so deeply:

“Since winter, some of our sisters have been preparing 400 children for first Communion in six groups. The last first Communion celebration was on July 12. Moreover, the sisters will start preparing another 100 children for first Communion in towns and villages in Erbil and Duhok.”

This is what it is all about. In the middle of despair and fear, in the middle of war and persecution, in spite of everything…there is the Eucharist.

There is the Bread of Life.

To those struggling to understand, to adapt, to feel some hope, these brave and selfless sisters are saying: “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

To those who don’t know where they will live, or how, or what will become of them, these sisters offer something incomparable and beautiful—a richness we so easily take for granted.

They offer the Bread of Life.

In May, my boss, Msgr. John Kozar of Catholic Near East Welfare Association, made a pastoral visit to Iraq and saw for himself the fruits of this extraordinary generosity and love.

“Again and again,” he said, “I encountered resilience and hope. The people want us to know one thing: They love the Holy Father. And they are grateful for his prayers. They want us to know they remain steadfast in their faith in Jesus.”

Msgr. Kozar remembered meeting one 12-year-old girl, who offered this simple but profoundly beautiful truth.

“ ‘They have taken our homes,” she told him. “but they will never take our faith.”

At a moment when so many of our suffering brothers and sisters around the world risk their lives to receive the Eucharist, to receive in a real and tangible way in the Bread of Life, we need to remember those words. They are a challenge to us. Here is faith that stands in defiance of death.

Here is a faith nourished by the Bread of Life

Beyond that: do we realize how fortunate we are? Do we realize how precious a gift we have been given? What we are about to do at this altar, the bread that will be blessed, broken and shared with all of us, is the greatest privilege we can know. But so often we make it so ordinary.

We shouldn’t. We can’t. In the desert of daily life, it is our food for the journey. Here is our sustenance. Here is our life. Here is, as the church teaches so beautifully, the source and summit of our faith.

Here is the Body of Christ, God under the appearance of bread. As I mentioned in my homily last week: it changes everything, and everyone.

As we receive today the Bread of Life, remember in your prayers Sister Maria Hanna and her sisters and all those they serve. Pray for all those persecuted Christians around the world who hunger not only for the Eucharist, but who hunger also for safety, and justice, and peace.

Let this sacrament reaffirm for us all God’s abundant generosity and goodness—what sustains us all through the desert moments of despair, fear or doubt.

“Taste and see,” the psalm tells us. “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

Homilies

Previous Post

August 8, 2015

Is John Kasich the GOP’s Pope Francis?

Next Post

August 8, 2015 Meet the Maryland deacon building the pope’s altar

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Mad Men" 9/11 advent All Things New Amazing video amazing videos amazon america Anglicans Anti-Catholicism art ascension thursday ash wednesday Atheists baltimore Bible Bishops Blogging bonnie engstrom Books bridgeport Brooklyn Chaplains children christian art christmas Church Churches CNEWA Converts criticism Deacons Death Penalty easter eastern christian Eastern Christians Ecumenism Education education Eucharist Europe euthanasia Evangelization Exorcism Family Feasts Gay rights Good Friday Great links Great Moments in Journalism Hanging with the saints heather renshaw Hispanic Catholics Hispanics History homelies Homilies Humor Hymn of the Week Immigration indianapolis Inspiration Interfaith news ireland Jesus Jews Journalism Judaism lent Liturgy logos Marriage Mary Media Medical news Mental health Middle East Monks Movies Music Muslims My world and welcome to it New Evangelization new york News Nuns Parenting Parish life peoria Persecution politics Politics Pope pope francis pope john paul Prayer Preaching Priests Pro-life Quote of the day radio rebecca frech ripp Ripped from the headlines rippred from the headlines Sacraments saints Scripture sex abuse Sex abuse crisis SEX ABUSE CRISIS TAGGED WITH: SEX ABUSE CRISIS The people in the pews the visitation project theatre This & that Thomas Merton Trappists TV Uncategorized uncategorized Vatican VATICAN vocation Vocations Voices & Views Women Worth a thousand words Writing Year of Faith year of mercy young people

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Though Israel played the harlot, I will betroth you to me forever in righteousness and justice, in love and what?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Truth Compassion Holiness Faithfulness

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »