The Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes • Today we will talk about food. How many kinds of bread do we have? • Rolls, sandwich bread.. Etc. • We eat bread when we are hungry. • There are 2 type of hunger: • Physical hunger • Spiritual hunger • Today we will talk about another kind of bread that does not fill our stomachs, • but it fills us in another way. • It fills us and nourishes us spiritually The Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes Jesus knows how important food is to us, especially when we are hungry. • One day, Jesus and his Apostles went to a deserted place. • They wen there to rest. They were tired. • But a large crowd found them. • They wanted to hear Jesus speak. • Jesus spoke to them • When evening came, he felt sorry for them; they were tired, • So he asked his friends to feed them. • But they didn’t have any food! The Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes • There was a boy who had 5 loaves and 2 fish. • It was far from being enough to feed thousands, but Jesus was grateful anyway. • Jesus took the bread and the fish in his hands. He blessed them. • Then he gave them to his friends, • and asked them to give the food to the crowd. • The Apostles passed out the food to the people. • They kept on giving out the food, and they did not run out! • There was enough for everyone! • There were even 12 baskets of left-overs! The people were amazed. I will Give you my Body & Blood • Some time later, Jesus crossed the lake to the town of Capharnaum. • The Crowd followed him, and asked him for another sign to prove himself, • Jesus said, “I will give you different sign. • I will give you my body and blood as food— and you will live forever.” • When the people heard that, they began to wonder: • • • • • “What does he mean? Did he say that he would give us his body to eat? His blood to drink? What he says is impossible to do! How can anyone accept it?” • One by one, the whole crowd left Jesus. They turned away form him and walked away. I’ll Give You My Body & Blood • One by one, the whole crowd left Jesus. They turned away form him and walked away. • Jesus looked at is friends and asked • “Do you want to go, too? • “No”, Peter said: “You are the Son of God! Where else could we go?” • The apostles didn’t know how Jesus would give us his body and blood as food… • but they stayed because they believe in him. • Much later, they found out just what Jesus meant. The Last Supper • Everyone was gathered in the city of Jerusalem. • It was the time when the Israelites celebrated the Passover, • The night before Jesus died, he had a meal with his friends, • something very special happened during that meal. • Jesus took bread, he blessed it, he broke it and he gave it to his friends. • He said, “Take it. This is my body.” • Then He did the same with the cup of wine, • He prayed, and said, “This is my blood. It will be poured out for you and for all, for the forgiveness of sins. • Do this in memory of me.” Jesus • Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus really did, what he had promised? • He gave us his body, and blood as food and drink. • He wants to be as closely united with us, as the food we eat • to receive grace and • nourish & strengthen our souls. Jesus Sacrifice • The very next day, Jesus made the greatest Sacrifice for us, • Jesus gave us his whole life, every drop of his blood, for each one of us, on the cross. • After Jesus has risen and ascended into heaven and returned to his Father, • the apostles continued to celebrate in the homes of Christians this special feast, the Breaking of the Bread, • We call it the LITURGY OF The EUCHARIST, or the Sacrifice of Mass, because of Jesus’ Sacrifice. Worship Together • Some 300 year later, there were many more Christians, and they worshipped together publicly. a) They built large buildings so that everyone could celebrate together as a group. b) They celebrated the Mass in these large buildings, which are called our first churches. • When we celebrate publicly, when we worship together, • we call it: the Liturgy of the Eucharist, or the Sacrifice of Mass. PART II: THE EUCHARIST ◦ Let me tell you the Story of Judy. ◦ She was 3 years old and gave a gift to her mother. ◦ She loved her mother very much! ◦ On her Mom’s birthday she went into the backyard and picked a bunch of dandelions. ◦ She came inside the house and said, “Happy birthday, Mom!” ◦ She gave her mother the dandelions. ◦ Her mother was smiling. ◦ She was so happy to receive Judy’s gift! The Gift Stand for the Giver 1. Do you think her mother liked dandelions? 2. Is that why she was smiling? ◦ Judy’s mother didn’t care for dandelions. She care for Judy. ◦ She knew that a gift stands for the giver. ◦ The flowers only represent her daughters love for her. We Gather in Church ◦ God loves us more than any mother or father could love their child! ◦ Judy gave her Mom a gift to show her love. ◦ What would be a good gift for you and me to give to God? ◦ He has everything in the world! All the beauty around us! ◦ We gather in church: we gather for Mass, it is a sing of our love for God. ◦ God is in our hearts because through Baptism, we have become his Children ◦ —He gave us His Divine life, Grace! Gifts of Bread and Wine Stand for Us A. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, someone comes up to read from the Bible. B. We hear the reading, the Word of God. Jesus is with us. He is the word of God! C. Next, we bring up our gifts, gifts of bread and wine. 1. How expensive do you think these gifts are? They are not expensive gifts, are they? 2. What make us think that God is happy to receive these gifts, and he accepts the gifts we give him? ◦ The gifts stand for us, and God loves us! Bread & Wine Became Body & Blood Of Jesus ◦ There is another reason why God will always accept our gift in the Eucharistic Liturgy: ◦ because during Mass, the bread and wine, work of our hands, become the Body an Blood of his Son, Jesus. ◦ The Priest takes the chalice and the bread: ◦ He asks God to send His Spirit upon the gifts to make them holy, ◦ so that they may become the Body and Blood of Jesus. ◦ Then he say the words of consecration, doing exactly what Jesus commanded his apostles to do, the night before he died: ◦ The Priest takes the bread and the wine, and he says, “This is my Body… This is my Blood… Do this in memory of me.” God Accepts our Gift ◦ How precious has our gift come? ◦ How much money would you have to have to by this gift? ◦ A hundred dollars? A thousand? A hundred thousand? A million? ◦ I could go on and on, adding more zeros! ◦ No matter how much money we would have, we could not buy this gift! ◦ Because our gift is not longer bread and wine: it is Jesus, God’s only Son, our Savior and our brother. ◦ God will always accept this precious gift. When he accepts the gift, he accepts us. All Become Body of Christ ◦ During the celebration of Mass, the best is yet to come. ◦ God cannot be outdone in generosity. ◦ Our gift becomes the best gift, ◦ and God shares this gift with us in turn in Holy Communion! ◦ IN COMMUNION. We receive the Body and blood of Jesus. ◦ In the Communion we receive Grace, God Divine Life in our souls. ◦ What a joy! What a gift! ◦ All those who receive this Gift become one body, the Body of Christ. ◦ We become as closely united to Jesus, and each other as the food we have received. Be Filled with the Bread of Life ◦ I hope you understand the meaning of the Eucharist better, and you can participate more often and more completely. ◦ When you go to church, look around and notice the people who are there. They belong to Jesus, too! a. They deserve, as you deserve, respect and love. b. The more we come to love Jesus, the more we come to love each other! c. Be filled with the Bread of Life! d. Be filled with Jesus! Take good care of Him. e. Take good care of all those who belong to Him.
