On the Back Porch
Reading, pondering and studying God’s Word is sometimes best done “on the back porch.” Each week we will try to offer something for you and your “back porch time.”
17th Sunday, Year B
What We Celebrate
This week and for the following three weeks the gospels are taken from “The Bread of Life Discourse” of John 6. The people are responding to the news of a prophet, a miracle worker, a great teachers, and possibly the Messiah. They have gathered in great numbers and day was getting late. What are they to do. Philip tells Jesus: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Indeed, for with God all things are possible. And this is just the start of the Bread of Life Discourse.
There is a lot going on in this gospel. Take a moment “on the back porch” and find out more about this amazing Gospel.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary
James J. Tissot, ‘Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes’ (1886-94), Brooklyn Museum, NYC | PD-US
Jesus Feeds the 5000
Bishop Barron: “Friends, we come now to the marvelous Feast of Corpus Christi, of the Body and Blood of Christ. What has been on my mind a lot recently is the famous story of the feeding of the five thousand—the only miracle, with the exception of the Resurrection, recounted in all four Gospels. Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes to the feeding of this great crowd must have made a massive impression on the first Christians. With this feast in mind, let’s look at the earliest version of this story in the Gospel of Mark, because every part of it is worthy of meditation.“
18th Sunday, Year B
What We Celebrate
This week and for the following two weeks the gospels are taken from “The Bread of Life Discourse” of John 6. The miraculous feeding of the multitudes has already occurred, Jesus had already left the scene and now the people are following – but their motivations are not clear. Jesus challenges them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” What will be their response?
There is a lot going on in this gospel. Take a moment “on the back porch” and find out more about this amazing Gospel.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary
The Feeding of the Five Thousand by William Hole (1846-1917) | Edinburgh University Library | PD-US
The Real Presence
Bishop Barron offers a reflection on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist based on the “Bread of Life Discourse” from John 6. The focus of the reflection begins on how Jesus’ words would have been heard by the 1st century listeners – and explains how Jesus never intended mere symbolism alone, but points to the Real Presence.
19th Sunday, Year B
What We Celebrate
Our recent gospels have been taken from “The Bread of Life Discourse” of John 6. The miraculous feeding of the multitudes has already occurred, Jesus had already left the scene and now the people are following – but their motivations are not clear. Jesus challenges them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” What will be their response? They grumble. As Jesus reveals more and more, the understanding is not growing as the people are “stuck” in what they think they know about Jesus.
There is a lot going on in this gospel. Take a moment “on the back porch” and find out more about this amazing Gospel.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary
The Feeding of the Five Thousand by William Hole (1846-1917) | Edinburgh University Library | PD-US
Revelation and Understanding
It is good to remember that John has a different intention than the other gospel writers. While they have recorded the event, it is John who seeks to explain the event through dialogue and discourse. It is also good to remember that John frequently has dual layers of meaning that are woven in the dialogues with people – e.g., Nicodemus and the Samaritan Woman at the well. In Nicodemus’ case as the dialogue continues the misunderstanding only grows. But not so with the woman at the well. Each exchange leads to a deeper understanding of who Jesus truly is. Consider how she refers to Jesus as “man,” “Jew,” “rabbi,” “prophet,” and finally “messiah.” Expect to find those same features in this dialogue: Jesus will increasingly reveal more and listeners will increasingly understand and come closer to Jesus or will increasingly misunderstand and walk away.
20th Sunday, Year B
What We Celebrate
For the last three Sundays we have been reading from John 6. The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves of bread has occurred, the people follow Jesus to other side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus has challenged them about what they are seeking and what they are seeing because of the miracle. The people’s response is “what do we have to do to get more miracle bread?” Jesus’ discourse has layers of meaning. Such layers confused Nicodemus (John 3) but not the Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4). How will the people understand what Jesus is offering them in action and word? What does it mean for Jesus to speak of the gift of his flesh for the life of the world?
As always, a lot going on in the gospel reading. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and take a moment on the back porch with the Word of God.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary
The Feeding of the Five Thousand by William Hole (1846-1917) | Edinburgh University Library | PD-US
Flesh and Blood
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. (John 6:53-54)
The language is graphic and direct, including images and actions that would have been abhorrent to faithful Jews. But is the language meant to be realistic or one of metaphor? “To eat someone’s flesh” appears in the Bible as a metaphor for hostile action (Ps 27:2, Zech 11:9). In fact, in the Aramaic tradition, the “eater of flesh” is the title of the devil. The drinking of blood was looked upon as a horrendous thing forbidden by God’s Law (Gen 9:4, Lev 3:17, Dt 12:23, and Acts 15:20). Outside Temple rituals, its symbolic meaning was that of brutal slaughter (Jer 45:10). In Ezekiel’s vision of apocalyptic carnage (Ez 39:17), he invites the scavenging birds to come to the feast: ‘You shall have flesh to eat and blood to drink.’ Thus if Jesus’ words in v.53 are metaphor, it argues against a very strong grain in biblical understanding.
In the video below, Bishop Barron speaks to deep mystery of eating “flesh of the Son of Man” in the Eucharist.
21st Sunday, Year B
What We Celebrate
For the last four Sundays we have been reading from John 6. The dialogue with the people (and the disciples) has been getting more intense/ The people are interested in more miracles, signs, and what they have to do to “get” this bread from heaven. Jesus’ language keeps “pushing the envelope” of what they are willing to accept – eat his flesh? “Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard; who can accept it?‘” It is critical point in the life of the disciples. What will they do?
As always, a lot going on in the gospel reading. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and take a moment on the back porch with the Word of God.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary
The Feeding of the Five Thousand by William Hole (1846-1917) | Edinburgh University Library | PD-US
Flesh and Blood
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. (John 6:53-54)
The language is graphic and direct, including images and actions that would have been abhorrent to faithful Jews. But is the language meant to be realistic or one of metaphor? “To eat someone’s flesh” appears in the Bible as a metaphor for hostile action (Ps 27:2, Zech 11:9). In fact, in the Aramaic tradition, the “eater of flesh” is the title of the devil. The drinking of blood was looked upon as a horrendous thing forbidden by God’s Law (Gen 9:4, Lev 3:17, Dt 12:23, and Acts 15:20). Outside Temple rituals, its symbolic meaning was that of brutal slaughter (Jer 45:10). In Ezekiel’s vision of apocalyptic carnage (Ez 39:17), he invites the scavenging birds to come to the feast: ‘You shall have flesh to eat and blood to drink.’ Thus if Jesus’ words in v.53 are metaphor, it argues against a very strong grain in biblical understanding.
In the video below, Bishop Barron speaks to deep mystery of eating “flesh of the Son of Man” in the Eucharist.
22nd Sunday, Year B
What We Celebrate
This Sunday we return to the Gospel of Mark after several week exploring the Bread of Life Discourse from the Gospel of John, but we don’t pick up where we left off in Mark. We pass over the death of John the Baptist, a second miracle on the stormy waters, back-to-back miracles of the multiplication of bread. Mark Chapter 6 ends with the summary statement “Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.” (v.56)
Such notoriety attracts attention, in this instance: the Pharisees and scribes who notice that Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands before eating as required by the “tradition of the elders.” Simple question. Complicated answer.
As always, a lot going on in the gospel reading. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and take a moment on the back porch with the Word of God.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary
The Pharisees Question Jesus | James Tissot | Brooklyn Museum | PD-US
Sacred Tradition and Scripture
Mark 7:8, referring to “human traditions” is often a verse which non-Catholic folk will hold up as proof text of the manner in which the Catholic Church has gone astray, introducing all manner of non-Biblical beliefs – placing human traditions over and above Sacred Scripture. But they do not seem to understand that the Catholic church has lots of “traditions” (small “t”) that come and go, but that is not what the Church means when it speaks about Sacred Traditions (large “T”). In the video below, Fr. Mike Schmitz speaks to the relationship of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church.