"And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

For Elijah, for Jesus, and for us, bread is fundamental to life. Bread stands at the center of life. Bread is life. And in today's Gospel (Jn. 6:41-51) we hear about Jesus who is the Bread of Life. Christ is life: He is the bread of life.


Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 12, 2012 (19B)
From the Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University

Sunday Readings
Podcast of the Readings 
Video of Reflections on Readings
Lecturas y Comentarios 
New American Bible
Prayer of the Hours
BQ: Half a Eucharist?

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Questions on Sunday's Readings for use by discussion groups,
prayer groups, or for individual prayer.
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First Reading
1 Kings 19: 4-8

1. In this reading sometimes we are Elijah and sometimes we are like the hearth cake. Think of times in your life when you wanted to cry, “Enough” and you could have used a good hearth cake. Did help come? How?

2. God sent help to Elijah in the form of an angel. What kind of help do you think God would send today? Name some ways you can be the “hearth cake“ for a person in a desperate state.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

1. Our psalmist tells us how to obtain a joyful spirit, "Look to the Lord that you may be radiant with joy." Describe how the Lord has given you inner joy in the course of relieving you from your afflictions.

2. The Psalm says that the angel of the Lord 'encamps' around those who fear Him and delivers them. Speak of how your faith has been a source of strength and deliverance in the face of difficulty or persecution.

Second Reading
Ephesians 4:30–5:2

1. Do you think you could get better at “being an imitator of God?” How? Is it more likely to happen all at once because you want it to, or a little at a time because you work at letting God into you? If you were going to work at this, where would you start?

2. Do you know any ”imitators of God?” What kinds of things do/did they do?

Gospel
John 6:41-51

1. The crowd murmured when Jesus said he was the bread that came down from heaven. How did knowing his mother and father impact the crowd’s willingness to believe him? Is it easy to accept a “prophet (one who speaks for God) in your own circle of acquaintances? Explain.

2. Sometimes our old ideas get in the way of new wisdom that the Holy Spirit might present to us. Rate the difficulty in easing that type of problem in general, and personally.

Sunday Bible Study Group
Please share your comments on the Sunday Readings. May we be blessed by God's words as reflected in your thoughts and experience-sharing.