St. Jerome once said, “The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever reaching the bottom.” Each week our Scripture readings at Mass give us much to reflect upon, not only during the homily or for the time we are at Mass but throughout the week. It is a good spiritual practice for all of us to spend some time in prayer and reflection with the Sunday readings throughout the week and this week is certainly no exception.
Beginning last Sunday and continuing through August, we are taking our triennial diversion from the Gospel of Mark to contemplate chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, known as the Bread of Life Discourse. Following the feeding of multitude (last Sunday’s gospel reading), the crowd seeks out Jesus after he departs from the place. In today’s gospel reading, they demand that Jesus perform another sign: “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?” Jesus uses this moment to teach, to draw his audience into a true understanding of what he has done. Here is one way to think about he challenge that Jesus lays down: “Do not labor for perishable food and temporal achievement. Strive for food that has value for eternal life. If all your effort, skill, and prayer end in just sustaining your physical existence, life will perish when the body dies. Strive, rather, for bread that nourishes the whole person, food that brings eternal life—food I will give you.” [2021 Workbook for Lectors, Gospel Readers, and Proclaimers of the Word, LTP, p. 228] Let us take some time this week to reflect upon the challenge of Jesus to “believe in the One sent by God” and what that means for us his disciples.
As parishioners at St. John are already aware, our long-time organist, Lawrence Demangone, has retired without fanfare in his typically humble, quiet fashion. On behalf of the parish, I thank Lawrence for his years of faithful ministry to the parish and wish him all the best in his retirement. I am grateful to the organists who have been helping out at St. John over the summer as we look to make more permanent arrangements.
At Holy Family, we are preparing for Sandy Sutton’s retirement later this month. We have interviewed several candidates to fill the parish secretary’s position. I hope to be able to announce Sandy’s successor in the very near future.
On Tuesday the Church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. We also hear the account of the Lord’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor from one of the evangelists every year on the Second Sunday of Lent; in that context, this glimpse of the Lord’s glory prepares his disciples for his coming passion and death. The readings and Mass prayers on this feast emphasize the glory of Jesus, who is one with God; it is a glimpse of the glory in which the Church will one day share [2011 Sourcebook for Sundays and Seasons, p 261].
The origins of the feast can be traced back to the Church in Syria in the fifth century and it was placed on this date for the whole Church in 1457 by Pope Callistus III to commemorate the announcement in Rome of an important naval victory over the Turks in the Balkans. That is certainly not a very pious or noble reason for the placement of a significant Church feast but the date also has theological and liturgical resonance as it comes forty days before the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross (September 14) and, according to tradition, the Transfiguration occurred forty days before Good Friday.
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