Bread, Not Cake

First Reading: Prv 9:1-6

Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table. She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city: " Let whoever is simple turn in here; To the one who lacks understanding, she says, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding."

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Second Reading: Eph 5:15-20

Brothers and sisters:

Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies  debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

Gospel: Jn 6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

Reflection

By Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento

I’m such a foodie. Plus, I associate great memories with gastronomic experiences. If it’s my Lola Bella’s birthday, we know food would be elegant. It would be in a fine dining restaurant, or at least catered. If it’s my Dad’s birthday, it would be an “inihaw” party with LOTS of fresh seafood they scoured early in the morning from Farmer’s in Cubao. If it’s time to meet up with high school friends, it would be a street food galore since it is reminiscent of our carefree days (well books and “isaw” days, if I may say). If the celebration is among women, you know there’ll be coffee and cakes. You know, I also mark my kids’ milestones with the food they tried. (B tried broccoli and he liked it. M tried bagoong and he had rashes all over. Oops. N tried mashed chayotes with fried Tilapia and her smile was superb!) Everything with food! I guess I am not alone in this, as every culture no matter where in the world, love food. This is basically why Jesus kept on comparing Himself to a bread, and even His blood to wine. Food and drink sustain our lives. Food is something we all need moment by moment. It is the number one basic need of every living organism. Jesus even taught us to say, “Give us this day our daily bread,” after praising and trusting God’s magnificence and power. Prayer

In the same way, Jesus is inviting us to depend on Him, and that His words become our sustenance. He has offered Himself to us so we can quench our thirsty spirit. He is the Bread who gives us eternal life. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” It didn’t say delicious. The Lord’s words may be bitter for someone who would presently want what’s worldly. Iit may be sweet for someone who’s been in his lowest. Or sour and salty for the rest. But one thing’s for sure, seeking the Lord is the most beautiful experience our souls can have. Just like the bittergourd that’s horrendous for me, but does wonders for my blood as I am anemic. The Lord’s Words are the best nourishment for our spirits in order to survive the daily challenges of being human. This we can do by digesting the Scriptures daily. There’s a ton of Catholic Bible guide books, both printed and online, and surely it is not too late to try today. I heard someone before said that the Bible must be the bread on our plate, a staple for daily living, not just a cake that appears only during special occasions.

Now ask yourself:

1. How much have I really depended on God’s will? Have I prayed about my woes more than I’ve talked about them?

2. Have I been giving my soul some vitamins? I have a number of supplements for my body’s health, but what about my mind and spirit’s well-being?

3. Apart from good food, working out is part and parcel of a healthy body. Have I complained about a difficult situation, that I forget that the Lord is my Holy Instructor teaching my spirits some new moves for toning and definition?

Prayer

Jesus, Your body and blood are indeed good for our souls. Thank You for being present in the Eucharist to continuously nourish us all. Amen.

*Tip from a foodie: Love crispy fried/baked breading? (Like those of Chickenjoy and breaded fish fillet?) Let the coated meat, poultry, or seafood sit for at least 10 minutes (and by coat that could be your own rub with flour or your simple pantry breading). Don’t go dunking them into the oil right away. Try and taste the difference. Yes, no need for egg (that’s extra calories). Super crispy? Do double-dipping. Coat your meat/poultry/seafood with flour. Then dip it into your batter (flour, seasoning, baking powder, milk/water), then finally coat with your favorite bread crumbs (mine’s Italian bread crumbs, others use Lays chips, yum!)

Let Your Spirit live in me, O God

Fifth Sunday of Lent10 April 2011
Come, today, and listen to his voice: do not harden your hearts.

First reading Ezekiel 37:12-14
The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I shall resettle you on your own soil; and you will know that I, the Lord, have said and done this – it is the Lord who speaks.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 129:1-8

Second reading Romans 8:8-11
People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

Gospel John 11:3-7,17,20-27,33-45
The sisters sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’ On receiving the message, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified.’
Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judaea.’
On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathise with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said:
‘I am the resurrection.
If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live,
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?’
‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’
Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.’ Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said:
‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.
I knew indeed that you always hear me,
but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me,
so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’
When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here! Come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’
Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him.

Reflection
By Jeanne Therese Hilario-Andres

 
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we see a fulfillment of the prophecy of Ezekiel: Jesus opened up the grave of Lazarus, put His own spirit in him, and raised him from death, as a clear sign that He indeed is the Lord.

Why did Jesus let death come to a family He dearly loved? He could have easily healed Lazarus before he died, if He had wished. Why did He choose to wait two days before setting off for Bethany? Why did He allow what seemed to be a tragedy to befall these believers, these good people who did not deserve it? Why do bad things happen even to those Jesus loves?

Imagine you are Martha. Your brother has been dead four days, and you are probably tired from the burial and from tending to the many mourners who have come to your house. Have you even had time to cry yet?

Suddenly you hear word that Jesus is approaching Bethany. You rush out past the crowd, running to meet Jesus. As you draw close to Him, you want to ask Him where He’s been, why He couldn’t come sooner. But you find, as you gaze into Jesus’ sad, loving eyes, that now is not the time for reproach. You greet Jesus and say that Lazarus would not have died had He come sooner. But your voice is gentle, for you know how much Jesus loved Lazarus, and you know that your brother’s death causes Jesus pain, too. You decide to trust Jesus, and leave it at that.

Even now, you think, it is not too late, for whatever Jesus asks from the Father, the Father will give. You struggle between wild hope and grim acceptance, as your calm, logical mind tells you there is no hope left for Lazarus now. Yet, in the face of death, you are surprised at how easy it is for you to still have faith, here, now, as long as Jesus is near. Even in mourning, your instinct was to RUN to meet Jesus, to stay near Him, because you knew that whatever might happen, He would give you strength to believe. He is your resurrection, He is your Life.

Imagine you are Mary. You have been inconsolable. You heard that Jesus was coming, yet you chose to stay home and weep. You are upset and hurt, and the void left by Lazarus’ death is unbearable. When Martha says Jesus is asking for you, you run quickly to His side. Showing none of Martha’s restraint, you fall at Jesus’ feet and weep bitterly, saying that Lazarus need not have died, if He had come sooner. Your sobs choke you as you sit at His feet, and no other words come out. But words are not necessary, for you see Jesus looking at you, seeing your thoughts, feeling your agony. He knows you deeply and you open your heart to Him, not hiding your pain. A dark, troubled expression is clouding His tender eyes. This God, He does not like seeing His loved ones cry.

Now imagine you are one of the mourners who had followed Mary to meet Jesus. Jesus asks where Lazarus has been buried, and you show Him the way. He stands in front of the tomb. What happens next is recounted in the shortest but most powerful, poignant sentence in Scripture:

Jesus wept.

You leave the story for a moment and ask, why would He weep, despite knowing Lazarus would be brought back to life again in just a few moments? He shed tears because He is one of us, human. He, too, feels the emptiness that death brings, the pain, the loss, the grief. At that precise moment, Jesus keenly felt the anguish that Lazarus’ death brought to all who knew him. He understood the pain. He experienced the agony.

As you imagine Jesus’ tears falling freely, you think to yourself, “See how He loved him.” And then you realize, wait, that’s how He loves me, too.

Jesus has asked that the stone be rolled away. But Lazarus has been dead for four days, someone mutters. Won’t there be a stench when the stone is removed? The ever-practical Martha whispers something in Jesus’ ear, but He eases her fears and reminds her to have faith. Jesus is praying aloud, and finally roars a command: “Lazarus, come out!”

Finally, imagine you are Lazarus. The illness brought you suffering, but you remained steadfast till the end as your body wasted away. What probably caused you the most anguish was seeing the burden your family carried, and being powerless to help them. Surrounded by your weeping sisters, you entrusted your soul to God and gave thanks that your sisters would no longer need to tend to you or see you suffer.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, you hear a voice calling you. Something about the voice sounds familiar. Angels whisper and encourage you not to be afraid. You realize it is Jesus’ voice! He’s calling you! You wake up on a cold floor with bandages around your head and cloths wrapped around your body. You struggle to reach the door and eventually, you feel the cloths being unwrapped.

Jesus’ face is the first thing you see. Everybody seems to be laughing and crying at the same time. Your sisters are hugging you and wailing with joy. What has happened? You look at the cloths, and behind you, the tomb. Suddenly, you realize that you had died, and that somehow, you are no longer dead. Jesus is smiling at you. What will you do? What do you say to Him? What will you do with the new life you have been given? How will you spend your life, knowing that Jesus had saved you from death?

Like Lazarus, Jesus brings back to life the dead, the decaying corners of our hearts. He is our life, literally, figuratively, our all-encompassing life. Let us ask Him now to put His Spirit within us, that we may believe and truly live this new life for Him.

Jesus, bring the dead parts of my heart back to life. Like Martha, let me run to You and stay near You in times of doubt. Give me grace to have faith in what my mind may think impossible. Like Mary, let me be transparent and vulnerable to You, never hiding myself from Your love. Like Lazarus, let Your Spirit dwell in me and bring me back to life. Thank You for loving me, for weeping with me, for understanding me. Let me love You and live my life for You. Amen.




 Next week on God-speak
From Jericho to Jerusalem