GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES FOR US

Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Bible Readings: 1 Kings 19:4-8; Ephesians 4:30-5:2; John 6:41-51

The readings for this 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, invite us to reflect on the profound truth that God provides for us. In times of despair, need, and uncertainty, God’s provision is ever-present, sustaining and guiding us through life’s challenges. The readings show us how God’s care and sustenance are manifest in various ways, reminding us of God’s unfailing presence and love.

In the first reading from 1 Kings 19:4-8, we find the prophet Elijah in a state of utter despair. Fleeing from Queen Jezebel, he retreated into the wilderness. Exhausted and despairing, he prayed for death under a broom tree. Here, we see Elijah at his lowest point, feeling abandoned and hopeless. However, God did not leave him in his despair. Instead, God sent an angel to visit Elijah, providing him with food and water and urging him to eat and drink. This divine provision gave Elijah the strength to journey for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, where he would encounter God.

This encounter demonstrates God’s intimate care for Elijah, providing exactly what he needed to continue his mission. It also shows how God provides for us in our own moments of greatest need. When like Elijah, we feel overwhelmed and lost, God steps in with the sustenance we require to continue our journey. Elijah’s experience reminds us that God’s provision often comes in unexpected ways and at the most crucial times, reinforcing our faith in His care and presence.

The psalmist in Psalm 34 invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). This call to experience God’s goodness firsthand underscores the trust and confidence we are to have in Him. The psalmist speaks of seeking the Lord and finding deliverance from all fears, illustrating the holistic care God offers His faithful. This reminds us that God’s provision is not just about meeting our physical needs but also about offering spiritual and emotional sustenance. By turning to God and trusting in His goodness, we can experience His peace and protection, even in the face of adversity.

The Gospel reading from John 6:41-51 brings the theme of God’s provision to its pinnacle with Jesus’ declaration that He is the bread of life. Jesus told the crowd that He is the living bread that came down from heaven and that whoever eats this bread will live forever. This statement caused confusion among the Jews, who knew Jesus as the son of Joseph. However, Jesus emphasized that He is the true bread that gives life to the world, contrasting the manna eaten by their ancestors in the desert, which sustained them temporarily, with the eternal sustenance He offers.

This passage prefigures the Eucharist, where Jesus offers Himself as the living bread, providing spiritual nourishment and eternal life to all who believe in Him. The Eucharist is the ultimate expression of God’s provision, sustaining us spiritually and drawing us into deeper communion with Him. Just as the bread and fish multiplied by Jesus in the feeding of the five thousand nourished the crowd physically, the Eucharist nourishes us spiritually, reinforcing our connection to God and to each other as the body of Christ.

Lastly, as we reflect on these readings, we are reminded of the various ways in which God provides for us. Whether through physical sustenance in times of despair as we saw in the first reading, spiritual nourishment in the Eucharist as we read in the gospel reading, or the moral guidance of the Holy Spirit as emphasized by St Paul in the second reading (Ephesians 4:30-5:2), God’s provision is comprehensive and unfailing. We are called to trust in His care, to seek His presence in our lives, and to become instruments of His provision to others. By doing so, we can face life’s challenges with confidence, knowing that God is with us, providing for our every need and guiding us towards eternal life. Amen.