Homily for the Week of August 3, 2008

18TH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR, YEAR A 2009
Isaiah 55:1-3
Romans 8:35, 37-39
Matthew 14:13-21

This week Catholic News Service had a news article about Lopez Lomong. Lopez is one of the lost boys of the Darfur region of Sudan who arrived in Syracuse in 2001 He was adopted by Barb and Bob Roger of St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Tully. Lopez is now in Beijing and will compete for the United States in the Olympics in the 1,500 meter race. Lopez was one of Sudan's more than 27,000 lost boys, so called because they were driven from their tribal villages and separated from their parents during the height of their country's civil war. When he was 6 years old Lopez and other children in his village were abducted by the army. He escaped through a hole in the camp wall and fled to Kenya where he was arrested and placed in a refugee camp. After living for years in refugee camps, when he was 16 years old he and about 3,800 other lost boys were resettled in the United States in 2001. That is when he was adopted by Barb and Bob Rogers of Tully. "When we were in Africa, we didn't know what was there for us as kids -- we just ran," he said. "God was planning all of this stuff for me, and I didn't know. When you put God first in your life, anything is possible” he said. “Now that I am 23 years old,” he said, “I also realize that nothing in this world is free except God.”

Our first reading today from Isaiah tells us that what God has to offer is free. There is no cost -- not even a hidden cost. We can't pay anything for what God has to offer us even if we want to. Forgiveness is free. God’s love is free. What God has to offer is beyond our imagining. What God has to offer is satisfying. Despite the graciousness of God we let things get between us and Him. Perhaps we should begin to see the extraordinary within the ordinary and see that even though we keep sinning, God keeps on forgiving. This is extraordinary.

We live in a society that sometimes chooses material things over human beings. Some children have so many toys or clothes or options that they get confused and hyper trying to make choices. We often think that a car, a cell phone, a computer, a good salary, of being a top student or athlete will make us totally happy. But we soon find out that happiness comes from none of these. How totally different is the way of life that comes from the Bible and Jesus.

We are told today by Isaiah that God has already given us everything to make us happy. God says: ALL YOU WHO ARE THIRSTY COME TO THE WATER. YOU WHO HAVE NO MONEY, COME WITHOUT PAYING AND WITHOUT COST. WHY SPEND YOUR MONEY FOR WHAT IS NOT BREAD; YOUR WAGES FOR WHAT FAILS TO SATISFY?

The experience of hunger, poverty, sickness and death can make it seem as if God has forgotten us. But in all of these God continues to love and protect.

Right now God gives us everything we need for happiness. Why don't we know it and feel it? Because we are looking off in the distance rather than within ourselves in our heart and spirit. Happiness does not come in going on a shopping spree or drinking spree, but in taking a new look at what we already have -- even if it might be hunger, sickness, loneliness, misunderstandings, anxiety. Religion or faith does not take away our problems; but a strong faith shows us a new way to see things, not a new way to obtain things.

In our third reading Jesus gives us an example of this. Jesus teaches us what real happiness is, and how it brings us true love. Jesus meets a large crowd, hungry, sick. His heart goes out to them with pity. His friends suggested that he send the hungry crowds away so that they could buy some food. They wondered why he bothered with them. Assuring His disciples that there was no need to send the people away, Jesus told them to ''give them some food yourselves.'' Needless to say, they were astonished. They had very little for just themselves. Jesus took their food, ''and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.''

This feeding takes place in our life every day if we only believed it did. If he did it for the crowds of 2000 years ago why wouldn't he do it for us today? God wants happiness for us just as he did for those of the Gospel story. This happiness and generosity comes about with the help of caring persons, like Barb and Bob Roger of Tully, who are willing to be like Christ.

We need someone who will be able to bring the bread of Eucharist to persons to help them to be bread for everyone. We need committed lay persons, committed families. But we also need young men and woman who will make it their lifetime commitment to be available to serve the needs of both the bread givers and the Eucharistic bread receivers. That is why that today some men and women still offer their lives to serve others as missionaries.

We cannot miss the allusion to the Eucharist. Jesus gave to the disciples, and the disciples gave to others. Those others gave to still others. And today we still receive and give. It should be noted that ''they all ate and were satisfied.'' What God has to give is always satisfying. Not only is it satisfying, God is so generous that there is always more than is necessary. What God gives us is complete, there is nothing lacking.

And there is still more. Our Lord stays with us always in this blessed Sacrament, remaining with us not for just an hour, not for just a day, not for just a year, but always!