GOSPEL, John (6: 44-51)
Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John
44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Gospel of the Lord
REFLECTION
St. John has a very special way of presenting the Gospel to us. Here he brings us to the moment of love and communion between the Father and the Son. ” Only the One who comes from God sees the Father.” Christ is the living bread that came down from Heaven to kill humanity’s hunger for love with His own flesh.
On the way to the land of their ancestors, the people of Israel spent years in the desert. They recognized Gods power and affection when in their hunger He fed them Manna.
Today, Jesus feeds us on our pilgrimage to the Father’s House. He is our food, particularly in the Eucharist. Let us always try to feed on the bread that is given so that the world may have life in abundance. (John 10, 10)
This life starts from the Father. It is in Him that everything begins. The Father leads us to the Son and he leads us to the Father. Our journey in life is to meet God in faith.
In present days, to feed on Jesus, is to receive life. It is to contemplate him and follow in his steps, in service, in fraternity and social solidarity. In search for justice and peace, one enters into a communion of eternal life with Jesus.
Let us allow ourselves to be touched by the invitation that Jesus makes. Let us participate fully, consciously and actively in the Eucharist. Christ becomes truly present in us and among us, when we receive Him in faith and love.
PRAYER
We praise you, Father, because the Eucharist foretells the final meeting at the table of your Kingdom, because your Spirit gives new life to our hearts, and because the word of Christ urges us to share his body and blood, a sure guarantee of eternal life.