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Nineteenth Sunday of the Year [CYCLE B]

MAIN MESSAGE
[This is for reference only. Please do not read it at Mass]

Since the theme of the ‘Bread from heaven’ continues for several Sundays, we will focus today on the
reading from the letter to the Ephesians, where St.Paul urges us to “be imitators of God, as beloved
children, and live in love.”
God is a kind and loving father. We see this in the first reading, when he sent an angel to feed Elijah,
who was tired and ready to die. He cared for all of us too, by sending us Jesus, the living bread, to
strengthen and save us.
Today we are encouraged to be like our Father: To be kind and merciful and to live in love.

INTRODUCTION:

Celebrant:
• Children, suppose you went for a long bus journey with your Daddy and you became hungry and
thirsty. What would your Daddy do?... As soon as the bus stopped at a hotel, he would go and get you
something to eat and drink: a wada-pao and a cold drink, maybe.

• God is a very loving father. And when his children are hungry he feeds them. Today we will hear
about God’s kindness and how he feeds his hungry children.

LITURGY OF THE WORD:

Commentator: Let’s listen to the story of

Elijah the prophet. The wicked Queen Jezebel
was out to kill him and so he had to run away
into the desert. He was so afraid, and tired, and
hungry that he wished he could die. Let’s see
what God did.

First Reading: 1Kings 19:4-8.

Psalm: 34:1-2; 3-4; 7-8.

Commentator: Listen to this reading also.

St.Paul tells us that we should also try to be
kind, like our Father-God.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:31-5:2

Gospel: John 6:48-51.

Homily:
Celebrant: Did you pay attention to the readings?
• In the first reading we heard about Elijah, who was hot and tired and frightened. What did God do for
him? [He sent an angel, who woke Elijah up and gave him bread and water. He woke him twice and
made him eat, till he was strong enough to complete his journey.]
• In the Gospel we hear about another kind of bread that God sent. What was the bread? [Jesus!] Jesus
said, “I am the bread that gives life!” God knew that we needed strength and help to reach heaven and
so he sent us Jesus.
• Today God says to us, ‘Be like me!’ Look at the poster. The words on it are from the second reading.
It says, ‘Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love.’ ‘Be imitators of God’ means ‘Be
like God… do what he does.’
• God feeds the hungry. He is kind to those who need help. We are his children, so we should also try to
be like him. If we notice that someone is sad, or tired, or hungry or lonely, we should be like our
Father, and be kind to them.
• I will tell you about a young wife who tried to imitate her Father, God.
Erica was the wife of a Navy officer. Soon after they were married they were posted to Cochin, a
seaport in Kerela. One day, Erica was all alone at home, when the doorbell rang. She opened the door and
there stood a very frightening-looking man. He was the most scary person she had ever met. His skin was
very dark, almost black. He was big and tall, and his face was covered with lumps. The man asked her for
help, but she was so scared of him that she said, “Please go away, I can’t help you!”
But the man pleaded with her, “Please don’t send me away! My family and I are in terrible
trouble! We have just come in India by ship, and no one is ready to help us. Even the shopkeepers won’t
sell us anything because of our black skin.”
Suddenly Erica felt sorry for the man. Though she felt afraid of him, she knew that God wanted
her to help him. She asked, “Would you like a cup of tea?” The man replied, “I would love a cup of tea!”
She invited him to sit in the front porch and went in to make him a pot of tea. She put the tea, milk and
sugar on a tray and then thought, “He must be hungry!” So she put a loaf of bread and some jam on the
tray too.
As the man had his tea and bread, he told her, “We have come from the West Indies, where
everyone has dark skin. We tried living in America for some time, but didn’t feel very welcome. So we
thought, ‘Let’s go and live in India, where people are not white-skinned, but are coloured, like us. We
will feel more at home there.’ But we now realise that the people in India also don’t treat us like human
beings because we look different.”
Then the man asked. “Madam, do you mind if I take this bread for my family?” “I would be very
happy if you take the bread and the jam, too. I’m sorry I have no money in the house to give you.” AS the
man went off, Erica thought, “This is our very first guest and he was sent to us by God!”
• Let’s try and be like Erica and like our Father-God. Let’s always be ready to see who needs our help.

Prayer After Communion:

Dear Jesus, thank you for coming into us today. Make us strong in our spirits so that we can keep on
following you till we reach you in Heaven. Help us also to be kind and loving like our Father in heaven.
Amen.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS PREPARATION REQUIRED:

ENTRANCE: God Our Father Looks • Practice the readings and prayer after
OFFERTORY: What Can We Bring Communion.
COMMUNION: Love One Another • Make poster and put up.
RECESSIONAL: God is Love and the One
Who Lives in Love
 FIR ST REA DING : A reading from the first book of Kings:
Elijah walked through the desert for a whole day. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat in its
shade. Then he prayed to die. “Lord,” he said, “I have had all I can take. Let me die. I’m no better
than my ancestors.” After saying this, he lay in the shade of the bush and fell asleep.
Suddenly an angel touched Elijah and said, “Get up and eat!” Elijah looked around, and by his
head was a jar of water and some bread that had been baked over coals. After eating and
drinking, he lay down again. Soon the Lord’s angel came back and touched Elijah again. This
time the angel said, “Get up and eat, or else the trip will be too hard for you.”
The food gave Elijah strength, and he travelled for forty more days until he reached Mount Sinai,
the mountain of God.
This is the Word of the Lord.

PSALM : Response: Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

I will always praise the Lord. Honour the Lord with me! If you honour the Lord,
With all my heart I will Celebrate his great name. his angel will protect you.
praise the Lord. I asked the Lord for help, and Discover for yourself
Let all who are helpless listen he saved me from that the Lord is kind.
and be glad. all my fears. Come to him for protection,
and you will be glad.

SECO ND R EADI NG: A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians:
Brothers and sisters:
Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or
ever be rude. Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because
of Christ.
Be imitators of God, as his beloved children, and live in love. Christ loved us and offered his life
for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.
This is the Word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA : Alleluia, alleluia. I am the living bread from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever. Alleluia.

GOSPEL : A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. John.

Jesus said to the crowd: “I am the bread that gives life! Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, and
later they died. But the bread from heaven has come down, so that no one who eats it will ever die.
“I am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread that
I give to the people of this world.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.

NB. All Readings are taken from the ‘Lectionary for Masses with Children’ canonically approved for use in the USA.