Daily Readings - Sun Jun 19 2022
Genesis
18Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High,19and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.20And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
1 Corinthians
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Luke
11but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.12Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here."13He replied, "You give them something to eat."14They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish--unless we go and buy food for all this crowd." (About five thousand men were there.)15But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." The disciples did so, and everybody sat down.16Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people.17They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
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.