Pumped!

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

John 6: 51-58

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ 53So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’

When I was a kid in Saskatchewan, every farm had a hand operated pump in the yard. In order to get the water flowing they had to prime the pump. They would pour water into the pump to improve the seal and then start pumping the handle. The part I remember best was watching and waiting with thirsty impatience as someone pumped the handle up and down, up and down. It seemed to take forever but suddenly the water would start gushing out. It was clear, cold, abundant, wonderful water on a hot dry Saskatchewan summer day.

Last week we looked at how crucial it is to keep a watch over our mouths and over the thoughts of our hearts and to build up habits of praise and thanksgiving rather than habits of judgment and complaining. Speaking in gratitude and building up habits of positive trust in the Lord is “priming the pump” spiritually. You have received the Bread of life in the Eucharist. Jesus the Bread, the Word or the water is deep within you just like the water was deep in the well on that hot dusty Saskatchewan farm. It was a fascinating mystery to me, when I was a child, that in order to get water to flow out of that pump, water had to be poured in first. In order for the water of the Spiritual life to begin to gush out of us, we need to pour water in. Practicing gratitude, hope and trust in the Lord is what primes our pumps. Eventually what will come out is a supernatural flow of grace. But you have to prime the pump. That’s your job.

Jesus keeps referring to the Jewish ancestors who received natural food and drink in a supernatural manner. He was saying, “Yes, God can provide for his people and he can do it in a way that creates awe and wonder…for the moment. Time after time in the wilderness, my Father provided for his people in miraculous ways. They had food, meat, drink and healing all provided in ways that no one could deny was the hand of a mighty God. But manna, quail and waters gushing out of a rock did not fill these people with a spiritual life of lasting gratitude and grace. When their physical and emotional needs seemed to be unmet, they immediately lost heart and started complaining. They kept drying up spiritually. The desert was as much in their hearts as it was in the land around them. Their souls were howling wildernesses. The most they could come up with was ‘in the moment gratitude’ which faded away when the next set of difficult circumstances arose. Most of these people died in the wilderness without really understanding the true provision of God.”

In the Gospel, Jesus said to the people, “…whoever eats me will live because of me.” It seems so simple doesn’t it? If we go to Mass and receive the Eucharist, we should be full of the dynamic Life of God but it often doesn’t feel much like it. Well, in fact, we are full of this life. It’s getting it out of us that’s the problem. The life within us is like the water sitting deep in the well to which the pump is connected. It’s there. It’s water. It has the capacity to bring life. But it has to be brought to the surface. You have to prime the pump.

You want spiritual life and grace to flow out? Then pour it in. Pour it in with the music you listen to. Pour it in with the people you hang out with. Pour it in with scripture and spiritual books. But most of all pour it in with the words of your mouth and the attitudes of your heart.

My husband’s mother used to say to him, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you who you are” which is very true. Our environment, whether it’s people or our physical environment have a strong influence on how we feel and think, but we need to start seeing that our thoughts, attitudes, judgments and what comes out of our mouths are an environment in themselves. We live within our thoughts and within what we speak. When we speak and think negativity we are actually creating a wilderness for ourselves to live in. There is no lush growth because there is no flowing water. There is no flowing water because the well is deep and the pump is rusty from disuse.

My friend’s teenage daughter left a note asking her mom to buy her some nuts. Her little brother left an answering note: “You are what you eat…” I’d like to twist this around a little: you eat what you are. When negativity is constantly thought and spoken, this is the food you are feeding yourself, the food you are living on day by day. And then we can go back to the original maxim: you are what you eat. If you constantly feed yourself negative thoughts and judgments you will eventually become negativity personified. And so the circle goes. And so the wilderness grows.

(By the way, all this applies to all the negative thoughts and condemning judgments you have about yourself as well. You are what you eat…what kind of a diet do you feed your inner self about your value and worth to the Lord? Do you say, “I am so bad. I am so stupid. I’m a failure.” Or do you say, “Thank you Father, for making me who I am. You are the beautiful creator and you only create beauty. Help me to see myself as you see me and love myself the way you love me.”?)

There is a beautiful statement in this week’s gospel: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Such a wonderful and peaceful thought. Abide is not a word that brings to mind hard labor. It brings to mind rest, contentment and growth. Once the pump is primed and once the waters begin to flow, there is much rest. Not only will you then begin to learn to abide in the Lord but he will be happy to abide in you because he will be at home in the sweet waters of your heart.

Gardens in the desert. It’s what we’re called to be.