Gospel: John 6:44-51
No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise him up on the last day. It has been written in the Prophets: They shall all be taught by God. So whoever listens and learns from the Father comes to me.For no one has seen the Father except the One who comes from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.I am the bread of life. Though your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, they died. But here you have the bread from heaven, so that you may eat of it, and not die.I am the living bread from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I shall give is my flesh, and I will give it for the life of the world.”

Reflections

“Whoever believes has eternal life.”Jesus introduces himself to his disciples as the bread of life. He is life-giving. The manna in the desert, too, came as bread from heaven, but all who ate it died. They were not given the life which Jesus offers. The bread he is talking about refers to his flesh, his body. He offers himself not only to them but for the life of the world. Certainly the world cannot live according to the mind of God if it does not accept his Son as bread of life.We may ask, how disposed are we to accept Jesus as bread? We can be disposed only if we are open to the Father. It is he who disposes us to Jesus by his words and teachings.Acceptance of Jesus as the bread of life does not come easy. We must be prepared. This we do through catechism and series of instructions. Sermons of the priests can help. Listening to God’s words is still of prime importance. That is why, the holy Mass always begins with the liturgy of the Word and then followed by the liturgy of the Eucharist. The Word of God disposes us to receive holy communion.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019