JULY 29, 2018
7:30 AM, 5:30 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES
Joseph Lowthian Hudson (or J. L. Hudson) was born in England in 1846. His family emigrated to Canada in 1855, and to Michigan in 1860.
Aside from providing the seed capital for the car company that bore his name in 1909, he is perhaps most well-remembered in the Detroit area for his retail department store.
Founded in 1881, eighty years later it was the #2 department store in the U.S. and boasted the tallest department store building – a 25 story building, covering an entire city block.
It was responsible for a Thanksgiving Day parade, and a July 4th Freedom Festival and fireworks display.
The auto company was absorbed into what became American Motors Corporation in 1959. By the time the store was 100 years old, it was in heavy decline, and twenty years later was bought out by what became Target Corporation.
The parade and festival are still around, but now under the control of an events management corporation
For myself, growing up in Detroit, Hudson’s is a series of memories spanning from my earliest childhood into adulthood.
As a young man, I utilized their gift wrapping service – watching the young ladies who could not only quickly wrap a box, but do it perfectly – or at least, so it seemed to me. I remember asking questions while they worked, and being shown – over and over – how they did it.
I’m not sure I ever mastered the fine art of gift wrapping, but I did gain at least some knowledge of it.
Today is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. And today we begin the first part of the sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel – which we will hear over the next several weeks.
The First Reading gives us a glimpse of the end of the 4th chapter of Second Kings. The prophet Elisha – the successor of Elijah the prophet – shows God’s power, mercy, and grace in the lives of the people.
What we hear today, is the fourth and last miracle of grace done by the prophet Elisha – the multiplication of bread. Demonstrating that grace satisfies our needs.
The three other episodes show us also that grace redeems, grace gives life, and grace heals.
In the Old Testament, God chose to work through prophets, patriarchs, and judges. And so, the action of grace – the gift of God – is given through the prophet himself.
Elisha is remarkable in that before his master Elijah was taken into heaven, Elisha was given one request; in which he asked for the gift of a double portion of the spirit of Elijah.
St. Paul speaks to us of unity – our call to live as the One Body of Christ. Now unity is not uniformity. Rather we are united by living a life of moderation but united in the Holy Spirit – through those gifts and fruits of the Spirit – and in peace and in charity.
This chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians begins by speaking of the grace of unity, moving on to the ground (or foundation) of unity, and then in the remainder of the chapter – which we did not hear today – St. Paul finishes by explaining the gifts of unity, and how the Church grows in unity through these gifts..
Finally, we begin today the sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel – the Bread of Life Discourse. The story commences with the feeding of the multitude.
When confronted with this monumental need, the disciples take three very human approaches to dealing with it. Their initial response is that Our Lord should send the crowd away. Phillip chimes in about the financial requirements – taking a pessimistic view of what is needed. Andrew evaluates the present situation – what was available – but he sees no use in even trying.
Jesus proposes a fourth way. He gives thanks. And in that act of thanksgiving, he takes, blesses, breaks, and gives the bread and fish to the multitude.
That act of thanksgiving – in Greek εὐχαριστήσας (eucharistesas) where we get the word “Eucharist” – is the moment of overwhelming grace. When God receives the little we bring and brings it to perfection … fulfillment … multiplies it – beyond our own limited expectations.
We have four options, too, on how we respond to God’s gift of grace.
We can turn it away. We can overestimate its cost. We can underestimate its value.
Or we can – in a moment of thanksgiving – give ourselves completely over to it. Allowing ourselves to be taken, blessed, broken, and given – according to God’s will and God’s plan for us.
