22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
Second Reading: James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their
meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. —For the Pharisees and, in
fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping
the tradition of the elders, And on coming from the market-place they do
not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that
they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and
kettles and beds. — So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do
your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you
hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honor me with their lips,
But their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me,
Teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing than enters one from outside can defile that person; but
the things that come out from within are what defile. “

“From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit. Licentiousness, envy, blasphemy,
arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

First Reading: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b
Second Reading: Ephesians 5:21-32
Gospel: John 6:60-69

Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and Life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said,  “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

First Reading: Proverbs 9:1-6
Second Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20
Gospel: John 6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from
heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that
I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:4-8
Second Reading: Ephesians 4:30-5:2
Gospel: John 6:41-51

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that
came down from heaven,”and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets:  They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The first encyclical letter of Pope Benedict is entitled “God is Love.” This quote from the First Letter of John (1 John 4;8) is one which emphasizes the message of God’s self-revelation. We are told that the reason we should love God is because “God is love” and God has first loved us. This is the Great Commandment that Jesus has given us: “Love one another.” People will be able to recognize us as Jesus’ followers because of the love we have for one another.

Our parish community, as the Church in this part of the world, is the place where we learn from one another and teach one another this law of love. It is our “School of Love.” Here we practice the law of love through the many community activities and ministries in which we express God’s presence among us and within us.

Finally, love is the goal of all that we are and do: To be like God, who is love.