18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle B 2021 (’03)

Sunday 1stAUG  2021(‘03): 18th SUN in ORDINARY: B

1. Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15

  • Read 16:1-35! The strange story of the ‘man-ha?’ that fell from ‘heaven’ for 40years!

& the more serious ‘Resentment-towards-Yahweh’ behind it!

  • What was the ‘real freedom’ that was being offered by Yahweh?

What was the cost involved? &the benefit? &Was it perhaps rejected in the end?

  • If each narrative divinity(eg Dionysus Aphrodite Hermes Artemis) is offering a particular ‘freedom’, maybe Yahweh’s is just too demanding?
  • In my local community, is there too much, or too little, ‘complaint’?
  • How could ‘Egypt’ conceivably appear more attractive than ‘The Wilderness’?

2. THE PSALM: 77:3-4, 23-25, 54 (Hardly a suck or a sip of this great song!)

  • Read-with-inseeing 77(78):1- 72! This ritual song is called a ‘parable/dark-sayings’ at the beginning! Can I glimpse the lurking dark truth?
  • Shredding the psalm to derive a ‘theme’ surely obscures the overall ‘parable’!
  • How are TheDarkSayings&Doings-of-Yahweh-inJesus’ being passed on to me?
  • The general non-reference to ‘Yahweh’, has this made our ‘religion’ shallow?
  • ‘Cos, isn’t the challenge of TheChallengeBible, ‘Yahweh’sCovenantWithTheOpressed’?
  • ‘BreadFromHeaven!’: What’s my current experience of this ancient myth-theme?
  • ‘HisHolyLand!’: To imagine He gave them Canaan, ‘saved’ them from ‘Wandering’

3. EPH4:17, 20-24 (Boo-hoo! Aren’t vv18-19 the nails in their coffin!)

  • ‘The aimless kind if life pagans live!’ Who? Not Christian? Whew!!
  • What areThe3Priorities that give consistence&direction to my life?
  • ‘Self!!: What is this, that can be corrupted by illusory desires?

How is it replaced by ‘TheNewSelf’ created ‘in God’sWay’? &OurMindRenewed’?

  • What 5Aspects of ‘MyOldWay-of-Life’ am I prepared to ‘GiveUp’ for Christ?
  • ‘TheGoodness&Holiness-of-TheTruth’! But what-is-truth?

Unless it is the full embodiment-in-my-world of TheAspirations-of-Yahweh-in-Jesus?

4.JN6:24-35

  • ‘Eternal Life!’: A new lifestyle mirrored to me by the narratives of Yahweh-in-Jesus! Not merely for contemplation&exegesis, but for actual embodiment!
  • What food cannot last, &in what sense? What food endures? &How?
  • What nourishment&support do I need, so as to live a ‘Jesus’?
  • Will even ‘Reception-of-TheEucharist’ ‘work’, without further ado?

Cos maybe the current ‘theology’ is encoraging illusory claims&hopes!

  • ‘BreadThatEndures/BreadFromHeaven/Bread-of-Life!’: Yahweh-in-Jesus ritually&dynamically present, in ways that best-nurture CovenantLove!

5. RIDDLE       Which is the most important bread?

               That received devotionally in EucharisticCommunion? 

               That eaten-with-gratitude in family rituals?

                That given-with love- to the poor? 

                That allowed with-inadvertence to moulder?

Refections and comments can be emailed to adbi@chokmah.ie