HOMILY – 17^TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

ST. ANTHONY CHURCH – GREENVILLE, SC

JULY 30, 2006 – 8 & 11AM MASSES

May the Lord give us His peace.

Shalisha to Elisha,  new bondage,  and the test.

Shalisha to Elisha.  Shalisha was a town, you were named by your town – Fr. David of Greenville.  Makes it a bummer to come from Lizard Lick NC huh?  Steve of Lizard Lick, every time you were announced.  Ugh.  Well this man from Shalisha heard about Elisha, a prophet who gave food for the spirit.  Perhaps you know someone like Elisha, when you are with them you feel the holy, the good, fed.

The man from Shalisha handed to Elisha his bag of bread to see what he would do with it.  20 loaves for 100 people.  It was completely predictable.  Elisha received the blessing and in the name of God shared it.  God’s blessing came through the man from Shalisha to Elisha so people would taste and see the goodness of the Lord.  And there was enough, Lord, there was enough.

Bondage.  Paul has been thrown in jail for preaching the new way of being Jewish – Jesus’s way of self sacrifice for love of sister and brother.  He is in jail living what he preaches.  From this bondage, this jail, he says the most remarkable thing. 

“Be patient, bear with others, remember that Jesus’ Spirit bonds us together.” 

Amazing, Paul admits his jailers and he have a bond, and he grows patient.  It’s as if he knows the Spirit within him has simply not yet been awakened in them, and he decides to wait it out rather than judge or manhandle them.  The one Lord is Lord of all, we are bonded together.  A new meaning for the word “bondage.”

The same oneness Shalisha felt with Elisha, Elisha felt with God and all people.  This oneness is now extended even to our enemy! In Paul’s case, jailers.  Paul’s life is a proof for a lot of people as they watch him love despite tremendous personal pain.  You just know God’s love is real for Paul, it is enough for him.  Paul sitting in prison asks, “patience.”  God is here too.  The only bondage is our oneness.

And the test.  Unlike in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and Mark where Jesus tells the disciples to give the 5000 people something to eat, in John, Jesus gives them the bread Himself.  The blessing will come from His hand.  A direct communication.

The disciples come to learn that Jesus is the one through whom every good comes.  Even suffering is good when offered for the life of others.  The miracle of the loaves and the fishes is a sign of power to those without faith in Him.  That is the test question for us who believe, is it bigger then belly bread for the afternoon? 

We see a pattern.  We pass the test when we become the bread, broken and shared.

The readings today are a 1000 year glimpse of God at work – from 627 BC when Elisha prophesied - to Paul in 61AD. after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended.

God will be enough for them and more.  How about for you?  See, eat, believe. 

But this is not about your belly believer.  It is about knowing where the food of life comes from.  The believer hears His voice, “follow me, and you will have life.”

We watch the effect of divine love cast self aside and instead, choose to look heavenward for blessing.  The giver, gives from the abundance being received in each moment.  People very close to us, and people far, hunger for Him.  Feed them.