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In the Latin church this Sunday's Gospel reading is John 6:1-15. I've almost come to dread this reading after so many homilies on how the "miracle" is that everyone shared what they all had brought with them that day.

Thanks be to God the priest who was celebrating Mass tonight had a wonderful homily which did not suggest this interpretation. Our bulletin reflection on the readings did have the story that everyone of course had brought their own food but miraculously shared it by putting their own food into the basket as it was passed. I've heard this preached by some priests who I didn't really expect to hear it come from.

I'm curious if you've heard this homily of the "miracle" of everyone sharing their own lunch from an ECC or Orthodox priest. I can't remember being in DL on a day when this was the reading, but can't imagine the priests at the Byzantine and Orthodox churches I frequent offering such a "teaching" on this gospel. Maybe they would. Maybe it wouldn't bother you...

I always find myself wondering after the homily of the shared lunch what kind of "miracle" they think is going on at the altar. I love my priests but sometimes they make me want to jump up and run out of the church... I didn't get to see the priest after Mass tonight but will make a point of mentioning this homily when I see him next. I haven't gotten to thank him for another beautiful one yesterday morning. I don't know who is celebrating Mass tomorrow morning but I pray it's the same priest...

They wouldn't dare (not even the guys who brought you the RDL). Anyway, we're not much into the "Barney the Dinosaur" school of homiletics.

Mlouise:

That interpretation comes from the Modernist school that was condemned by Pope St. Pius X. In fact, I have read some pieces from that period where that particular interpretation was specifically condemned as heresy. (I don't remember the name of his encyclical this morning that condemned the Modernists and even used this as an example of what was wrong with their thinking.) The problem resurfaced when Blessed John XXIII of blessed memory invited some of the people who continued with this line of thinking and had been under Rome's condemnation to the Vatican Council and they thought their views as well as their persons had been rehabilitated. So we've got people running around with all that garbage and still teaching people about it.

If I'm not off, this is also part of the 19th century biblical method--historic-critcal method--that sought to find a rational reason for everything in the Bible. In the process it neutered much of the message.

BOB

The "everybody shared their lunch" interpretation springs out of the historical-critical modernist mindset with a heavy dose of Marxist/socialist/redistributuionist political agenda.

Emphasizing the shared lunch misses the two central points: First, that this miracle is the ONLY miracle common to all four Gospels. We should ask, "why is this so important that all the witnesses agree?" And as Christians who are formed by the Eucharist the answer should be obvious.

Which leads to the second central point: St. John uniquely indentifies this miracle as occuring at Passover ("now the Passover of the Jews was at hand"). St. John also uniquely omits the Words of Institution from his account of the last supper and instead includes the washing of the disciples feet. So where is the Eucharist in the Fourth Gospel? Right here, in John 6....because this is the Passover....the foreshadowing of the Paschal banquet.

At Annunciation Fr. Loya preached a great sermon on how the gospel shows the lavishness of God. We are truly blessed to have him.

Then... it happened...

We had a Eastern Catholic Redemptorist Priest who talked to us at the end of liturgy on vocation on the whole it was a good talk.... and he wove the Miracle of sharing into it...

Very sad... very sad indeed

Thanks be to God the same priest preached at the early morning Mass this morning I needed to attend. I was able to talk with him after and express my gratitude for his homily. He had removed his vestments so apparently the later Masses had someone else celebrating/preaching.

I was away overnight visiting a friend on Wed. The church I went to for Mass had about 15 people there and they were apparently deciding to do a communion service when a guy stood up and said "I'm a priest". He was there on vacation. Bless him for celebrating the Mass for us. Thankfully he didn't tell us that the "fine flakes like hoarfrost" in the first reading were some kind of bird droppings, which I recently heard is some explanation for that miracle. He didn't mention that reading at all in his homily, only the gospel, and the gospel he read was the reading for Friday . (I suspect from the rest of the Mass it's a good thing he didn't preach on the Exodus reading...)


Was that today? Do you use the Latin church schedule for readings in your parish?

We had a family of visitors at our Byzantine church today. When I asked what brought them the father said it was "that Eastern Catholic radio program on Catholic radio", meaning Fr. Loya's program. He's certainly had a big influence on me.

MLouise, I had the same problem this morning when at the local Latin parish here the priest repeated the sharing theme in the homily but with a little different twist. He said it could have happened that Jesus actually multiplied the loaves and the fish but that the greater miracle would have been for God to have changed peoples hearts by getting them to share and that it was also possible the miracle occured this way.

The Gospel on Sunday in the Byzantine Church was the multiplication of loaves and fishes from Matthew's account.
It is rare that the Gospel in the Roman Catholic mass has the same theme as that in Eastern Churches. Perhaps the Lord is trying to tell us something!

Dr. Henry-


Interesting... At my Byz church we had the man born blind reading. Matthew 9:27-35, which matches the daily readings I receive in email from arch.org [goarch.org]. It doesn't look like a Julian/Gregorian calendar thing. I did notice last year that we and Annunciation are on different calendars.

Melkites definitely had loaves and fishes yesterday.

The Gospel Reading is from Matthew 14:14-22 : At that time, Jesus saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

The following story of the fish and loaves don't suggest that people had brought food with them for the most part, the miricle was that the Messiah created more fish and more loaves to feed the people. Its the same as when the Simon brought the net out of the sea (of Galilee) and it was full, the Messiah was making the point that He is our source for all that we need

Blessings,
Chana

Amen Chana and welcome to Byzcath

Thanks Pani Rose, I love the Messiah for saving me and the Scriptures, I am so thankful to our God for giving us His Word to help us understand who He is and the Love He has for us :)
I look forward to when this Dispensation is over and we get to be with Him and fellow Believers forever :)

Blessings
Chana