Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mass Celebrated by Archbishop Denis Hart
at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne,
on Sunday, 31st July, 2005, at 11.00am

Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

From the beginning Jesus wanted us to be given two forms of nourishment. His own Word that would form our minds and hearts, and the food of the Eucharist, offered in sacrifice to give perfect worship to the Father and then given to us in Holy Communion that Jesus may nourish us.

As we call to mind our sins, let us ask Jesus that he will strengthen and guide us on our journey, knowing that his Word and the Eucharist, which are the very essence of what we do each Sunday, will be our inspiration and nourishment.

Homily

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we read once again of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes to feed the crowd. It is the only miracle in which Jesus directly associated his disciples and it is a reminder that in this sacrifice and sacrament, where we offer perfect worship to our God, Jesus was imaginative in giving us a way by which he would be with us at every moment.

By his associating of the twelve with him Jesus gave us a glimpse of what he would do at the Last Supper and what would continue until the end of time. This image of Jesus feeding us is one, which recurs every time we celebrate Mass. We listen to God’s Word and this brings our mind and heart into the ambit of God’s love for us.

At the Last Supper before he changed bread and wine into his own Body and Blood, Jesus recited psalms with the disciples. On the cross, to which he looked forward, there was enacted the story of his own giving - God and human for us - to death that would follow through into his resurrection after which the twelve apostles, their successors and the disciples would gather to do what he did in memory of him.

Here at Mass there is no mere commemoration. Pope John Paul said, “Amid our questions and difficulties and even our bitter disappointments, the Divine Wayfarer continues to walk at our side, opening to us the Scriptures and leading us to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of God. When we meet him fully we will pass from the light of the Word to the light streaming from the Bread of Life, the supreme fulfilment of his promise to be with us to the end of the age.” ( Cf. Matthew 28:20 ) ( Mane Nobiscum Domine 2 )

So when we gather around the Eucharist we pick up the theme that Pope Benedict used to teach the people. “We cannot live without Sunday. We cannot live without God’s Word and without the Eucharist. The fact that others are not here with us is not the fault of God’s Word or the Eucharist or the Church. It is a challenge to us to appreciate and be nourished by what we do.” In announcing the World Youth Day, which I will attend with our young people from the 16 th – 21 st August, Pope John Paul said, “I would like the young people to gather around the Eucharist as the vital source which nourishes their faith and enthusiasm.” ( Mane Nobiscum Domine 4 )

By giving ourselves to his Word and to himself in the Eucharist, we begin to understand what is the mystery of faith. When we say, ‘I believe’, we allow our God to direct our life. Christ becomes a light to us, showing us his life. We too, like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, are challenged to recognise the Lord, to see him and be touched by him; he who gave everything that we might have food for body and spirit and might have life.

Throughout this Mass let us be aware that our God is really with us, really present, really guiding us, helping us in the struggles and doubts of our personal life, giving us a share in the mission to the world, to show and to call others to know him and to follow him.

In the years since the Great Jubilee the Pope has invited us to see the importance of what we do together on Sunday as the stimulus to being given for our brothers and sisters. Particularly in the matter of food, in our society where there is an overabundance of food on every corner and in every shop we need to remember our brothers and sisters in our community and in the world who lack food and to be generous in our gifts to the poor. In a similar way we need to show by our word and deed the attractiveness of Jesus, knowing how he responds if we pray, ‘Stay with us Lord’, and seeking to tell others that our God is near and that his presence is life-giving. God is our origin and guide, ever close to us. It is his hand, which feeds us and answers every need. It is he who challenges us, that no one lives on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.