The stories in our First Reading and the Gospel today are very similar: The people were very far away from their town and hungry. One person had a loaf of bread but there were too many people to feed. Then Jesus blessed the loaves and multiplied them for everybody to eat. These Scripture readings invite us to pay attention and do something about, the reality that many people, particularly children, are malnourished or die of hunger globally. In a world where we produce enough food to feed everyone, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that over 811 million people (10% of global population) were undernourished in 2020. This is an alarming increase of world hunger from previous years, much of it related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The theme of Liturgy over the past three weeks has been centered on different types of leadership and responsibilities in the Church. Two weekends ago, we reflected on the roles of prophets; last weekend we reflected on the roles of missionaries; and this weekend the theme of the Liturgy is centered on the roles of shepherd and religious leaders. It is not a coincidence that God chose most of the great leaders, the patriarchs in the Old Testament such as Abraham, Moses and David, from among the shepherds. In the New Testament, Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd, “who is willing to lay down His life for His Sheep” (John 10:11). This explains why a priest in charge of a parish today is called Pastor, a Latin word for shepherd. Religious leaders as shepherds are called to model their lives after that of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.

In our first reading today, Amos told Amaziah that he is not a prophet but an ordinary man sent by God to preach the truth to the people. In other words, he considered himself as a lay person sent to preach the word of God. We often think of missionaries as priests and religious sisters who are sent to faraway countries. In a way, that is true. However, the 2nd Vatican Council document on the Missionary Life of the Church (Ad Gentes) states that “the Church is missionary by nature.” This means that we are all missionaries by virtue of our Baptism.

In our first reading today, Amos told Amaziah that he is not a prophet but an ordinary man sent by God to preach the truth to the people. In other words, he considered himself as a lay person sent to preach the word of God. We often think of missionaries as priests and religious sisters who are sent to faraway countries. In a way, that is true. However, the 2nd Vatican Council document on the Missionary Life of the Church (Ad Gentes) states that “the Church is missionary by nature.” This means that we are all missionaries by virtue of our Baptism.

“God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living.” This is the introductory sentence in our first reading today. What a powerful message. This clearly highlights the ongoing debate about Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice that has divided the country at different levels today. This is also timely as this issue dominated the discussion at the General Assembly of the U.S. Bishops Conference last week. The Church has consistently affirmed that we should always respect and protect every human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Our God is God of life, not death. He created us to be imperishable and gain eternal life with Him. When we choose God, we choose eternal life; but when people turn away from God, they turn towards death and eternal damnation.

The Scripture readings this weekend emphasize the manifestation of God’s power over storms. If you are familiar with the book of Job, you will recall that, prior to the fi rst reading today from chapter 38, Job’s life of suff ering and pain caused him to question God; Job asked why he, an innocent and holy man, was experiencing so much misfortune and how he could find strength to keep trusting in God in the midst of so much loss and adversity. In the fi rst reading, we heard God respond to Job’s questions out of the storm. God asks Job a series of questions reminding him of the magnitude of His power over nature and all creatures and assures Job that He is in full control of the situation in his life. We find a similar situation in the Gospel when the Apostles cried out to Jesus in the midst of a storm and Jesus responded by calming both their fear and the storm. The Responsorial Psalm also describes the helplessness of people caught up in the midst of storms on the sea and how they were saved by calling upon the Lord.

Scientists have identified seven basic characteristics of living things: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion and nutrition. Of the seven, the process of growth is uniquely different in that it takes place gradually and continuously throughout the life span of the organism. While growth can be observed and measured over time, the actual process of growth at the cellular level is not generally visible to the human eye. In the Gospel today, Jesus uses the parables of the mystery of growth to illustrate the nature of the Kingdom of God. Just as the farmer cannot understand or explain the process of growth that takes place between the time of sowing the seed and the time of harvesting, so also it is difficult for us to fully understand the nature of the Kingdom of God and how it grows throughout our lives and among us.

This weekend, we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi; a Latin term, meaning “Body of Christ.” This solemnity is celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday to commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist. People often ask “Why do we need a special day for this celebration when every Mass is a celebration of the Eucharist?” A brief historical background may help clarify this. In the 13th century, St. Juliana of Liege in Belgium, an Augustinian nun, saw a vision in which she was instructed to tell the Church to institute a feast in honor of the Eucharist. She revealed the information to her bishop, Robert de Thorete, and later to Pope Urban IV. In 1246, the Pope called for a synod in which the feast was approved to be celebrated in the Latin Church as a solemnity. The great theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, composed some Eucharistic adoration hymns for the celebration such as “Tantum Ergo,” “Pange Lingua,” and the “O Salutaris Hostia.” We still sing these Eucharistic hymns today during Benediction and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is difficult for many people to understand or accept because it is a mystery that is beyond full human comprehension. The Holy Trinity is three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit with one nature in one God. Not three Gods but one God manifesting himself in three distinct persons. The inner relationship of the Trinity is such that each person is fully co-equal and co-eternal, but one in essence and nature. Several analogies can be used to describe the mystery of the Trinity. For instance, “time” can be manifested as past, present and future. Each of them is time, but manifested in three distinct ways. Another analogy is the mystery of the human person made up of body, soul and spirit. The three parts are quite distinct, but coexist as a single human being.

Today we celebrate Pentecost, which comes from a Greek word meaning fiftieth. Both Jews and Christians have a feast called “Pentecost.” Within the Jewish tradition, Pentecost celebrates the day God gave Moses the Law on Mt. Sinai. It is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. For the Church, Pentecost recalls the fiftieth day after Jesus rose from the tomb. On Pentecost day, Jesus fulfilled his promise by sending the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles while they were at prayer in the Temple. The Acts of the Apostles describes Pentecost with dramatic words, “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fi re, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began READ MORE

The pain of separation from our loved ones is one of the most excruciating experiences we can have in life. It is not always easy to say “goodbye” to our loved ones when they travel or at their fi nal moment. Most people have the opportunity to say goodbye or give last instructions before they part from their loved ones. Naturally, the last instruction from a dying person is never taken lightly. This was the case of the Apostles as we hear in the fi rst reading and Gospel today. Their hearts were troubled to see Jesus depart from them. Jesus prepared His apostles well in anticipation of the challenges that were ahead of them. Jesus’ ascension was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus’ physical presence with them, it also marked the beginning of Jesus’ presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit who would lead, guide, and remain with them until the end of time.

Our scripture readings this weekend are centered on the theme of “choice and love.” We heard this clearly in the Gospel when Jesus said: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain…This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.”

The first and ultimate desire of every human soul is a desire for belonging to God. As we grow and mature through the different stages of our lives, the desire is manifested through our awareness of dependency on other people and groups for survival and support such as our parents, families, school, teammates, church, societies, human race, etc. However, none of the human support systems can satisfy the ultimate desire until we have a sense of belonging to God. The desire is intrinsic in us in the realization that we are only a ‘piece of the whole.’ This is a metaphysical certainty that a “piece cannot be greater than the whole.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way: