Friday of the Second Week of Easter (John 6:1-15) “Super Substantial Bread”
Friday of the Second Week of Easter (John 6:1-15) “Super Substantial Bread”
In the translation of the Lord’s Prayer from the Latin Vulgate (The Bible of St. Jerome) there is a phrase that sounds very strange. Instead of “Give us this day our daily bread” it says, “Give us super-substantial bread.” Probably, few of us have heard this word before. Why did the translator use this tongue twister of word?
He did so because the original Greek word has no easy translation into English. In fact, the Greek word that is used to describe bread that we as believers are requesting was a totally unique word. It is as if the writer of the Gospel made up a word to try to describe the indescribable.
The bread that is being requested may be bread that we need to survive from day to day, but it is even more than that. The bread is food that is gives us spiritual sustenance. The bread is a supernatural food. The way the bread is described in the Our Father makes it is obvious we are praying about the need for Eucharistic bread.
Today, in the Gospel we read at Mass, we have a story of the multiplication of the loaves. The feeding of the multitude is an other-worldly event. The sign points to the way we are fed at the Eucharistic celebration.
Reflecting on all this, we are more deeply saddened by the fact that we cannot share Eucharist together at the present time. We wonder what is going to happen to our Eucharistic celebrations. There are two possibilities that are often posited. One is that we will be away from the Eucharist so long we will come to believe we do not need it. The other theory is that people will grow in their love of the Eucharist because they have been deprived of it. The Eucharist is said to be the source and summit of the Catholic Christians life. We will find out if we believe that by how we react to the deprivation we are enduring.
Jesus gave us a sacramental action to sustain us in the travails of life. We call out to the Lord to provide for his starving people again soon.
Reflection Questions:
1. How do I feel about being deprived of the Eucharist right now? What do I miss most about not being able to gather with my Christian brothers and sisters?
2. Have I been surprised about my reaction to not being able to attend Mass? If someone would ask me why I love the Eucharistic action, could I put it into words? Would my reaction be not just a way to share sadness, but could my reaction cause others to think about why the Mass is should be important to them?
Dear Parishioners,
The sad news was confirmed yesterday that Seton School will not be in session the rest of the year. While online education will continue, there is obviously a big hole in our children’s lives as they will not see their classmates and teachers every day. The silence around Sacred Heart is deafening. The laughter of the children and their joy running around the school yard is gone. The playground is roped off for fear of transmitting the virus. Please pray for the Seton family. The school is still in need of your financial support. We will have an eighth-grade graduation in some way, shape or form. Hopefully, by next Fall we will again hear the delightful sound of children around our parish campus.
Please remember that we have missalettes available by the back door of the rectory. You are invited to take one home. We also have daily devotionals which are usually available at the church doors. Mass will live stream tomorrow at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Sunday at 8 a.m.
May the Blessed Mother and all the angels and Saints protect you today.
Fr. Mark