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<DIV><FONT size=4>W</FONT><FONT size=4>hen I first knew Flor she was a lovely
girl but totally lacking in self confidence. She had no initiative and was
afraid to contribute to any group activity. Flor, came from a big family. One
day she said, "In our family you could work for 24 hours and nobody would ever
have a word of thanks or praise for you, but if you made the slightest mistake
it was as if another world war had been declared." The deprivation of
affirmation that she had experienced made her terrified of any situation in
which she may be criticized.<BR></FONT>
<P><FONT size=4> Susan, on the other
hand, had experienced that whenever she was with a new group she was the life of
the party for a while, but then she noticed that her presence could empty a room
in minutes. It emerged that she was a menopausal child - born eight years after
the youngest of her six siblings. She was her father's pet and a little doll for
her older brothers and sisters. She was always center stage singing or dancing
for family guests. With this much affirmation in childhood, she felt in later
life that she should always be at the center of the stage. Soon others found
this very demanding and avoided her so as not to have to be constantly
worshipping at her shrine.<BR><></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Unfortunately, like Flor and Susan, many of us are fixated in
our needs.</FONT></P>
<P><A
href="http://www.bible.claret.org/liturgy/daily/sundays_pierse/cycleB/B_18thSunOT.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://www.bible.claret.org/liturgy/daily/sundays_pierse/cycleB/B_18thSunOT.htm</FONT></A></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Fr. Gerry Pierse</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>There is an attraction - perhaps watching a Nativity or Passion
Play - or hearing one of his parables - or one of his sayings that seems to
speak to the searcher’s condition. The attraction may lead them to look for more
of the same - more comforting sayings - more though-provoking stories. For some,
that is enough - but Jesus does not always allow people to stay there. At some
point, people may be brought face to face with a challenge - and have to decide
whether they are prepared to go more deeply into the Mystery... The choice is
theirs. </FONT></P>
<P><A
href="http://www.wellsprings.org.uk/weekly_wellsprings/year_b/sunday_18.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://www.wellsprings.org.uk/weekly_wellsprings/year_b/sunday_18.htm</FONT></A></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><FONT size=4>There is something much deeper that Christ
seeks to offer these people than mere physical sustenance; he wants to give them
dignity! A person with dignity is never powerless; they will never be
anyone’s slave or prisoner. A person with dignity has the power to reform
their world. A person with dignity has the power of hope and can give
dignity to others. Christ tells us that God has given him the authority
and power to grant that dignity to his people; for what dignity could we ever
have as dependent victims of our basic needs?</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><FONT size=4><></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><A
href="http://onefamilyoutreach.com/bible/John/jn_06_24-35.html"><FONT
size=4>http://onefamilyoutreach.com/bible/John/jn_06_24-35.html</FONT></A></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><FONT size=4>Source: Jerry Goebel: 2003 ©
<U>http://onefamilyoutreach.com.</U> </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Note also the interplay between <B>works</B> and <B>faith</B> in
Johannine thought: The crowd asks Jesus (6:28), “What must we do that <B><I>we
may work</I></B> the works of God?” Note Jesus’ reply: “This is the <B><I>work
of God</I>:</B> that you believe in the one he sent.” By the very phrase Jesus
has shifted the emphasis from a <B><I>work of man</I></B> to <B><I>the work of
God</I></B>—the initiative which God took in sending the Son into the world.
(Qeou' is best understood as a subjective genitive in 6:32-34.) Note that at
this point the crowd still <B>misunderstands</B> the nature of the true bread
from heaven: “Lord, give us this bread.” If they conceive of it as something
that Jesus <B>himself</B> gives them, they have still missed it, because <I>he
himself</I> <B>is</B> the ‘Bread’ from heaven. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Hall Harris </FONT></P>
<P><A href="http://bible.org/seriespage/exegetical-commentary-john-6"><FONT
size=4>http://bible.org/seriespage/exegetical-commentary-john-6</FONT></A></P>
<P><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><EM>Verse 27</EM>: “Son of Man”: Elsewhere in John, “Son of Man”
means a messenger from heaven to make God known (see </FONT><A
onmouseover="window.status='Click here to read the text'; return true"
onmouseout="window.status=' '; return true"
href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?version=nrs&word=John+3%3A13"><FONT
size=4>3:13</FONT></A><FONT size=4>) and the judge at the end of time (see
</FONT><A onmouseover="window.status='Click here to read the text'; return true"
onmouseout="window.status=' '; return true"
href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?version=nrs&word=John+5%3A27"><FONT
size=4>5:27</FONT></A><FONT size=4>). Here Jesus is speaking in Jewish terms: a
son of man, whose coming was prophesied in Daniel </FONT><A
onmouseover="window.status='Click here to read the text'; return true"
onmouseout="window.status=' '; return true"
href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?version=nrs&word=Daniel+7%3A13-14"><FONT
size=4>7:13-14</FONT></A><FONT size=4> (“one like a son of man”, *Septuagint
translation). People saw this figure as the coming Messiah: when he comes, he
will glorify the people of Israel by transforming them into the everlasting
kingdom of God. To us (as to John), Jesus is the embodiment of salvation, the
mediator where heaven and earth meet.</FONT></P>
<P><A href="http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/ctksgl.shtml"><FONT
size=4>http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/ctksgl.shtml</FONT></A></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>