GOSPEL, John (6, 35-40)
Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38 for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 This is indeed the will of my Father that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”
The Gospel of the Lord
REFLECTION
Jesus tells us today I am the bread of life (John 6: 36) Jesus Christ is really the bread of life for each of us who are troubled, and full of problems in this vale of tears…
God wants to offer men, at all times of their journey on earth, the definitive “bread” of life. Naturally, men must make their choice and accept this gift.
He reaffirms that the ultimate goal of his mission is to give men the “bread of life”. To receive that life, the disciples are invited to “eat the flesh” and “drink the blood” of Jesus – that is, to follow to Him, to assimilate his teachings and to internalize his proposal.
The Christian Eucharist (“eating the flesh” and “drinking the blood” of Jesus) is a privileged moment of encounter with the life that Jesus came to offer. God, who does not want the death of the sinner but his conversion to Truth and Light, sent his Son into the world not to condemn man, but to save him. “God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2, 4).
Let us make the Word of our Eucharistic Lord, the source of food for our souls. Just as we sustain our bodies daily, we should also feed on the Word to satisfy our spiritual hunger and so have the strength to face the difficulties of our life.
PRAYER
We bless you, Father God, because you want all men to be saved by the knowledge of your name.
Open our hearts. Lord, and enlighten our minds to understand the secret and the richness of your presence in the Word and in the Eucharistic Bread, Amen.