Those Quarrelsome Galileans, 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), August 18, 2024

Even after three Sundays worth of quarreling over Jesus' teaching on the Bread of Life, those Galileans who have followed Jesus to Capernaum are still at it. They just cant figure out what Jesus is going on about. There is a reason: they don't underestand his foundational teaching on who God is. They are stuck within an image of God as a powerful king, a severe judge, a great general. All this is far from what Jesus shares with them and others: God is first and foremost "Father" to us. Only in receiving this teaching can Jesus' further teaching about himself being the Bread of Life make any sense. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.