piety, John 6,24-35, St Addai of Edessa, Psalm 111
Good Day Bloggers!
Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7..
We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift knowledge and free will as well,
make the most of it. Life on earth is a stepping to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Today's Word: piety pi·e·ty [pahy-i-tee]
Origin: 1275–1325; Middle English piete < Middle French < Latin pietās, equivalent to pi ( us ) + -etās, variant (after i ) of -itās; see pious, -ity
noun, plural pi·e·ties.
1. reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations: a prayer full of piety.
2. the quality or state of being pious: saintly piety.
3. dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc.: filial piety.
4. a pious act, remark, belief, or the like: the pieties and sacrifices of an austere life.
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Today's Gospel Reading - John 6: 24-35
Lectio: 18th Sunday in Odinary Time
Jesus the bread of life.
Understanding today's Reading
a) A key to the reading:
The Discourse of the Bread of Life is not a text to be discussed and dissected, but rather it should be meditated and pondered. This is why, even if it is not fully understood, we should not be concerned. This text of the Bread of Life demands a whole life to meditate on it and deepen it. Such a text, people have to read it, meditate it, pray it, think about it, read it again, repeat it and ponder it, as one does with a good sweet in the mouth. We turn it and turn it in the mouth until it is finished. The one, who reads the Fourth Gospel superficially, may have the impression that John always repeats the same thing. Reading it more attentively, one becomes aware that it is not a question of repetition. The author of the fourth Gospel has his own way of repeating the same theme, but always at a higher and more profound level. It seems to be like a winding staircase. By turning one reaches the same place, but always at a higher level or a more profound one.
b) A division of chapter six:
It is good to keep in mind the division of the chapter in order to understand better its significance:
John 6,1-15: the great multiplication of the loaves
John 6,16-21: the crossing of the lake, and Jesus who walks on the water
John 6,22-71: the dialogue of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples
1st dialogue: 6, 22-27 with the people: the people seek Jesus and find him in Capernaum
2nd dialogue: 6, 28-34 with the people: faith as the work of God and the manna of the desert
3rd dialogue: 6, 35-40 with the people: the true bread is to do God’s will.
4th dialogue: 6, 41-51 with the Jews: the complaining of the Jews
5th dialogue: 6, 52-58 with the Jews: Jesus and the Jews.
6th dialogue: 6, 59-66 with the disciples: reaction of the disciples
7th dialogue: 6, 67-71 with the disciples: confession of Peter
c) The Gospel: John 6:24-35
a) A key to the reading:
The Discourse of the Bread of Life is not a text to be discussed and dissected, but rather it should be meditated and pondered. This is why, even if it is not fully understood, we should not be concerned. This text of the Bread of Life demands a whole life to meditate on it and deepen it. Such a text, people have to read it, meditate it, pray it, think about it, read it again, repeat it and ponder it, as one does with a good sweet in the mouth. We turn it and turn it in the mouth until it is finished. The one, who reads the Fourth Gospel superficially, may have the impression that John always repeats the same thing. Reading it more attentively, one becomes aware that it is not a question of repetition. The author of the fourth Gospel has his own way of repeating the same theme, but always at a higher and more profound level. It seems to be like a winding staircase. By turning one reaches the same place, but always at a higher level or a more profound one.
b) A division of chapter six:
It is good to keep in mind the division of the chapter in order to understand better its significance:
John 6,1-15: the great multiplication of the loaves
John 6,16-21: the crossing of the lake, and Jesus who walks on the water
John 6,22-71: the dialogue of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples
1st dialogue: 6, 22-27 with the people: the people seek Jesus and find him in Capernaum
2nd dialogue: 6, 28-34 with the people: faith as the work of God and the manna of the desert
3rd dialogue: 6, 35-40 with the people: the true bread is to do God’s will.
4th dialogue: 6, 41-51 with the Jews: the complaining of the Jews
5th dialogue: 6, 52-58 with the Jews: Jesus and the Jews.
6th dialogue: 6, 59-66 with the disciples: reaction of the disciples
7th dialogue: 6, 67-71 with the disciples: confession of Peter
c) The Gospel: John 6:24-35
When the people saw that neither Jesus
nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to
Capernaum to look for Jesus. When they found him on the other side,
they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?' Jesus answered:
In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me not because you have
seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. Do
not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for
eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the
Father, God himself, has set his seal. Then they said to him, 'What
must we do if we are to carry out God's work?' Jesus gave them this
answer, 'This is carrying out God's work: you must believe in the one
he has sent.' So they said, 'What sign will you yourself do, the
sight of which will make us believe in you? What work will you do? Our
fathers ate manna in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread
from heaven to eat.' Jesus answered them: In all truth I tell you,
it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, it is my Father
who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of
God is the bread which comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world. 'Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread always.' Jesus answered
them: I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever hunger;
no one who believes in me will ever thirst.
~ A moment of prayerful silence so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
~Some questions to help us in our personal reflection.
a) The people were hungry, they eat the bread and they look for more bread. They seek the miracle and do not seek the sign of God who was hidden in that. What do I seek more in my life: the miracle or the sign?
b) Hungry for bread, hungry for God. Which of these two predominates in me?
c) Jesus says: “I am the bread of life”. He takes away hunger and thirst. Which of these experiences do I have in my life?
d) Keep silence within you for a moment and ask yourself: “To believe in Jesus: What does this mean for me concretely in my daily life?”
~Reflection
a) Context:
In today’s Gospel we begin the Discourse on the Bread of Life (Jn 6, 22-71). After the multiplication of the loaves, the people follow Jesus. They had seen the miracle; they had eaten and were satiated and wanted more! They were not concerned about looking for the sign or the call of God that was contained in all of this. When the people found Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum, he had a long conversation with them, called the Discourse of the Bread of Life. It is not really a Discourse, but it treats of a series of seven brief dialogues which explain the meaning of the multiplication of the bread, symbol of the new Exodus and of the Eucharistic Supper.
The conversation of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples is a beautiful dialogue, but a demanding one. Jesus tries to open the eyes of the people in a way that they will learn to read the events and discover in them the turning point that life should take. Because it is not enough to follow behind miraculous signs which multiply the bread for the body. Man does not live by bread alone. The struggle for life without mysticism does not reach the roots. The people, while speaking with Jesus, always remain more annoyed or upset by his words. But Jesus does not give in, neither does he change the exigencies. The discourse seems to be a funnel. In the measure in which the conversation advances, less people remain with Jesus. At the end only the twelve remain there, but Jesus cannot trust them either! Today the same thing happens. When the Gospel beings to demand commitment, many people withdraw, go away.
b) Commentary on the text
John 6,24-27: People look for Jesus
because they want more bread. The people follow Jesus. They see that he
did not go into the boat with the disciples and, because of this, they
do not understand what he had done to reach Capernaum. They did not
even understand the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. People
see what has happened, but they cannot understand all this as a sign
of something more profound. They stop only on the surface; in being
satisfied with the food. They look for bread and life, but only for the
body. According to the people, Jesus does what Moses had done in the
past: to feed all the people in the desert. According to Jesus, they
wanted the past to be repeated. But Jesus asks the people to take a step
more and advance. Besides working for the bread that perishes, they
should work for the imperishable food. This new food will be given by
the Son of Man, indicated by God himself. He brings life which lasts
forever. He opens for us a new horizon on the sense of life and on God.
John 6,28-29: “Which is God’s work?”
The people ask: what should we do to carry out this work of God? Jesus
answers that the great work of God asks us to “believe in the one sent
by God”. That is, to believe in Jesus!
John 6,30-33: “What sign will you
yourself do, the sign which will make us believe in you?” People had
asked: What should we do to carry out the work of God? Jesus responds:
“The work of God is to believe in the one who has sent”, that is to
believe in Jesus. This is why people formulate the new question: “Which
sign do you do so that we can see and can believe? Which work do you
do?” This means that they did not understand the multiplication of the
loaves as a sign from God to legitimize Jesus before the people, as the
one sent by God! They continue to argue: In the past our fathers ate
the manna which Moses gave them! They called it “bread from Heaven” (Ws
16,20), that is, “bread of God”. Moses continues to be the great
leader in whom to believe. If Jesus wants the people to believe in him,
he should work a greater sign than Moses. “What work do you do?”
Jesus responds that the bread given by Moses was not the true bread from heaven. Coming from on high, yes, but it was not the bread of God, because it did not guarantee life to any one. All of them died in the desert (Jn 6,49). The true bread of heaven, the bread of God, is the one which conquers death and gives life! It is the one which descends from Heaven and gives life to the world. It is Jesus himself! Jesus tries to help the people to liberate themselves from the way of thinking of the past. For him, fidelity to the past does not mean to close up oneself in the ancient things and not accept renewal. Fidelity to the past means to accept the novelty which comes as the fruit of the seed which was planted in the past.
John 6,34-35: “Lord, gives us always
of that bread!” Jesus answers clearly: “I am the bread of life!” To eat
the bread of heaven is the same as to believe in Jesus and accept to
follow the road that he teaches us, that is: “My food is to do the will
of the one who has sent me and to complete his work!” (Jn 4,34). This
is the true food which nourishes the person, which transforms life and
gives new life
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
Died: 180
Patron Saint of : n/a
Thaddeus of Edessa, Syriac-Aramaic St. Addai or Aday (ܐܕܝ) (sometimes Latinized as Addeus), was one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, not to be confused with Thaddeus (Jude the Apostle) of the Twelve Apostles.
But based on various Eastern Christian traditions, Thaddaeus was a Jew born in Edessa, at the time a Syrian city, (now in Turkey). He came to Jerusalem for a festival, and heard the preachings of John the Baptist (St. John the Forerunner), actual cousin of Jesus. After being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, he remained in Palestine. He later met and became a follower of Jesus. He was chosen to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom Jesus sent in pairs to preach in the cities and places.
After Pentecost and the Ascension of Jesus, Thaddeus started preaching the Gospel in Mesopotamia, Syria and Persia and helped in building up the Church in these regions. Thaddaeus ordained priests in Edessa, converted many to Christianity and built up the church there. He also went to Beirut to preach and founded a church there as well.
The Syriac liturgy referred to as the Divine Liturgy of Addai and Mari, originated around the year 200 A.D. and is used by the Assyrian Church of the East, that claims a connection to the saint.
His feast is celebrated on August 5 in the Christian calendar.
Among the Eastern Orthodox faithful, Saint Addai was a disciple of Christ sent by St. Thomas the Apostle to Edessa in order to heal King Abgar V of Osroene, who had fallen ill. He stayed to evangelize, and converted Abgar—or Agbar, or in one Latin version "Acbar" — and his people including Saint Aggai and Saint Mari. The legendary tale of how King Abgarus V of Edessa and Jesus had corresponded was first recounted in the 4th century by the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea In the origin of the legend, Eusebius had been shown documents purporting to contain the official correspondence that passed between Abgar and Jesus, and he was well enough convinced by their authenticity to quote them extensively in his Ecclesiastical History. According to Eusebius: "Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, under divine impulse sent Thaddeus, who was also numbered among the seventy disciples of Christ, to Edessa, as a preacher and evangelist of the teaching of Christ." (Historia Ecclesiastica, I, xiii)
References
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Saint of the Day: St. Addai of Edessa
Feast Day: August 5
Died: 180
Patron Saint of : n/a
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| Abgar receiving the Mandylion from Thaddeus (Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai). |
Life
There is no consensus about life and death of Thaddeus of Edessa (Mar Addai / Mor Aday). Some historians and researchers dispute that he actually exists. Some also dispute that Thaddeus of Edessa and Addai are the same individual.But based on various Eastern Christian traditions, Thaddaeus was a Jew born in Edessa, at the time a Syrian city, (now in Turkey). He came to Jerusalem for a festival, and heard the preachings of John the Baptist (St. John the Forerunner), actual cousin of Jesus. After being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, he remained in Palestine. He later met and became a follower of Jesus. He was chosen to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom Jesus sent in pairs to preach in the cities and places.
After Pentecost and the Ascension of Jesus, Thaddeus started preaching the Gospel in Mesopotamia, Syria and Persia and helped in building up the Church in these regions. Thaddaeus ordained priests in Edessa, converted many to Christianity and built up the church there. He also went to Beirut to preach and founded a church there as well.
The Syriac liturgy referred to as the Divine Liturgy of Addai and Mari, originated around the year 200 A.D. and is used by the Assyrian Church of the East, that claims a connection to the saint.
His feast is celebrated on August 5 in the Christian calendar.
Addai and the healing of King Abgar
The story of the healing Thaddeus' evangelizing efforts resulted in the growing of Christian communities in northern Mesopotamia and in Syria east of Antioch. Thaddeus' story is embodied in the Syriac document, Doctrine of Addai, which recounts the role of Addai and makes him one of the 72 Apostles sent out to spread the Christian faith.[5] There are disagreements about the historical veracity of the tale. By the time the legend had returned to Syria, the purported site of the miraculous image, it had been embroidered into a tissue of miraculous happenings:[6] The story was retold in elaborated form by Ephrem the Syrian.Among the Eastern Orthodox faithful, Saint Addai was a disciple of Christ sent by St. Thomas the Apostle to Edessa in order to heal King Abgar V of Osroene, who had fallen ill. He stayed to evangelize, and converted Abgar—or Agbar, or in one Latin version "Acbar" — and his people including Saint Aggai and Saint Mari. The legendary tale of how King Abgarus V of Edessa and Jesus had corresponded was first recounted in the 4th century by the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea In the origin of the legend, Eusebius had been shown documents purporting to contain the official correspondence that passed between Abgar and Jesus, and he was well enough convinced by their authenticity to quote them extensively in his Ecclesiastical History. According to Eusebius: "Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, under divine impulse sent Thaddeus, who was also numbered among the seventy disciples of Christ, to Edessa, as a preacher and evangelist of the teaching of Christ." (Historia Ecclesiastica, I, xiii)
Various Traditions
St. Addai appears in unorthodox material as well, in two previously unknown apocalypses attributed to James the Just found at Nag Hammadi in 1945.References
- ^ Charles George Herbermann, The Catholic Encyclopedia (Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1913), p. 136.
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Today's Snippet: Psalm 111
Alleluia! I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them.
Full of splendour and majesty his work,
his saving justice stands firm for ever.
He gives us a memorial of his great deeds;
Yahweh is mercy and tenderness.
He gives food to those who fear him,
he keeps his covenant ever in mind.
his saving justice stands firm for ever.
He gives us a memorial of his great deeds;
Yahweh is mercy and tenderness.
He gives food to those who fear him,
he keeps his covenant ever in mind.
His works show his people his power
in giving them the birthright of the nations.
The works of his hands are fidelity and justice,
all his precepts are trustworthy,
established for ever and ever,
accomplished in fidelity and honesty.
in giving them the birthright of the nations.
The works of his hands are fidelity and justice,
all his precepts are trustworthy,
established for ever and ever,
accomplished in fidelity and honesty.
Deliverance he sends to his people,
his covenant he imposes for ever;
holy and awesome his name.
The root of wisdom is fear of Yahweh;
those who attain it are wise.
His praise will continue for ever.
his covenant he imposes for ever;
holy and awesome his name.
The root of wisdom is fear of Yahweh;
those who attain it are wise.
His praise will continue for ever.
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