Acts 7:51-8:1
Psalm 31
John 6:30-35
Worship Song
Entrance
Antiphon
All you who fear God, both the great
and the small, give praise to him! For his salvation and strength have come,
the power of Christ, alleluia. (Revelation 19:5; 12:10)
Opening
Prayer
Father, you open the kingdom of heaven
to those born again by water and Spirit. Increase your gift of love for us. May
all who have been freed from sins in baptism receive all that you have
promised. We ask this…
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia. I am the bread of
life, says the Lord; whoever comes to me will never hunger. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Heavenly
Bread
30So they said to him, “What
sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? 31Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He
gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32So Jesus said to them, “Amen,
amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father
gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that
which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34So they said to him, “Sir,
give us this bread always.” 35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never
thirst.
Reflection
“I am
the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes
in me will never thirst.” ~ Jesus in v. 35
Jim once
again found himself in front of the refrigerator, staring through the open
door, his mind empty of thought. He wanted something but he didn’t know what it
was. He couldn’t need food; he had just eaten dinner an hour before. Besides he
was twenty pounds overweight and needed to cut back. Regardless, he grabbed
some cold cuts, made a sandwich, and headed back to the TV.
Jim
doesn’t know it, but the great desire in his heart, which he can feel as a kind
of hunger is the call to experience the joys of God’s kingdom. He was made to
know God. It’s in him to do, but he has only believed in the ways of the world,
so he doesn’t really understand. All who hunger are called to the feast of the
body of Christ, but we go to the fridge instead. We thirst and are invited to
the water, but we drink the beverages of the world of excess. We are called to
love, but we seek romantic gratification.
We need
to believe that Jesus is in us, calling us.
Prayer Response
O God
of beauty and goodness, everywhere I look there are things to delight my eye
and cause my heart to swell. But these things are passing and are meant to
reveal your hand at work in our world. Help me to understand my desires and
look within for their fulfillment.
Suggested Action
The
next time you get an urge to stick your head in the fridge, try sticking your
nose in the Bible instead. See if it makes a difference.
Credits: Fr. Paul Boudreau, Between Sundays
Silencing
Rest in
the loving arms of the Lord with an open mind and an open heart. Pray in silence
for your personal intentions. You may also pray the Lord’s Prayer or some other
formulary prayer.
“The
effect of our sharing in the body and blood of Christ is to change us into what
we receive.” ~ Pope St. Leo the Great
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