18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the reading, the people of Israel were in the desert with Moses and Aaron. The people complained because they did not have enough food to eat. God heard them so he told Moses that he would send down bread from heaven each morning and mead each evening. The people are only to gather enough for each day. God wanted to know if the people trusted Him.
In the gospel, the crowd of 5,000 went looking for Jesus. Jesus challenged them to not look for regular food but the kind of food that will make them live forever (Jesus). The people are called to believe in Jesus who was the One sent by God. The people wanted a miracle to prove that Jesus was sent by God. They wanted him to feed them like their ancestors who ate manna sent by God when they were in the desert. Jesus replied that God gives the true bread from heaven. God’s bread gives life to all people. Jesus told them that he was “The Bread of Life”. Anyone who comes to Jesus will never be hungry and will never be thirsty.
Special Saint/Feast Day: - St. John Mary Vianney – August 4
John Mary Vianney was born in France in 1786. As a child, he took care of his father’s sheep. He loved to pray and when he was 18, he asked his father for permission to become a priest. He studied under Fr. Balley but John had great difficulty with Latin and his studies were hard. Fr. Balley helped John to become ordained.
Fr. John was sent to a little parish called Ars. When he first arrived, the people of Ars did not care much about their faith. They drank too much, worked all day Sunday, and never went to church. Fr. John kept fasting, did penance, and prayed for these people. People began to attend church regularly. They felt Fr. John was a saint and they wanted to obey him.
Fr. John converted many sinners and helped people make better decisions. . Fr. John spent 16 hours daily hearing confessions. He died at 73 years old.
St. John Vianney devoted an enormous amount of time to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this sacrament, our sins are forgiven and we receive the graces we need to live our life according to the teachings of Jesus. We should make it a habit to attend confession more frequently.