17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
2 Kings 4:42-44 Ephesians 4: 1-6 John 6:1-15
Theme: We Serve a Generous God
From today’s liturgy, we see the love and generosity of God towards humanity. From the first reading and the gospel, we see God feeding his people. Jesus continues to show us the depth of his love for humanity, the depth of his love for you and I. the question today my brothers and sisters is: Do we emulate Jesus’ way of life? That is what Paul admonished us to do in today’s second reading. Today’s liturgy presents us with the opportunity to reflect on this question, are you living a life that is worthy of your calling as a child of God? We are all called to be children of God, we are called to be people of God and as such we are supposed to live lives that are built in Christ, lives that are enriched by the imperatives of the gospel.
That is why my brothers and sisters, today the Lord is saying to us that there is need for us to emulate him. There is need for us to be generous with our time. There is need for us to be generous with our resources. There is need for us to be generous with the gifts that God has given us. Let us learn to share with those who do not have the little that God has blessed us with. We will not become poor because we are generous, we will rather attract more blessings from God to ourselves. It is not about having so much before you can share, even in the little we have let us share. Today Jesus teaches us what it means to be selfless, what it means to feed others, and what it means to put others in view especially in hopeless situations. We see that in the first reading and in the gospel, humanly speaking it is not possible; but with God everything is possible. If we give God a chance in our lives, he will never disappoint us. He never fails those who trust in him.
In the second reading, St. Paul invites us to live like children of God in our daily lives. It is an invitation to a Christ-like life for you and me. Does your life reflect anything Christian? Does your life reflect somebody who believes in God, somebody who trusts in God? Our lives as Christians are supposed to mirror the person of Christ. They are supposed to mirror the kingdom of God. People are supposed to encounter us and feel God’s presence around us.
That is why today on this seventeenth Sunday, it is a clarion call for all of us as people of God, and children of God to make honest and sincere effort to live our lives worthy of the name Christian. We serve a faithful God that stands by his promises. He wants us to emulate him and bear good fruits that will lead us to everlasting life. That is why we are privileged people as children of God. He has called us to follow him in a unique way and impact positively in our world.
Today the Lord is encouraging us to live a life that is built on love of God and neighbours, in humility and charity and experience his blessings. We pray that God in his infinite goodness will grant us the grace to emulate him in all our actions. Peace be with you.