Daily Readings - Sun Jun 19 2022
Genesis
18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)19And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;20and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
1 Corinthians
23For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Luke
11When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.12Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place."13But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people."14For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."15And they did so, and had them all sit down.16And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.17And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful narratives that weave together themes of trust, divine provision, and the sacred meal. The story of Melchizedek in Genesis introduces us to a priest-king who offers bread and wine, prefiguring the Eucharistic sacrifice. This ancient ritual points to the deeper reality of God's presence and provision, setting the stage for the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul recounts the institution of the Eucharist, where Jesus takes bread and wine, giving them new meaning as His body and blood. This sacred meal is not just a remembrance but a living encounter with Christ, sustaining us on our journey. It calls us to gratitude and recognition of God's abiding presence in our lives.
The Gospel from Luke illustrates Jesus' compassion and power as He feeds the multitude with scarce resources. This miracle is more than a display of might; it's an invitation to trust in God's providence. Just as the disciples learned to rely on Jesus, we too are called to trust in His abundance, even in times of scarcity. Let us approach each day with faith, remembering that God's grace can transform our meager offerings into abundant life.