16-APL-'24, Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

Lectionary: 274

Reading 1

Acts 7:51—8:1a

Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:

"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,

you always oppose the Holy Spirit;

you are just like your ancestors.

Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?

They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,

whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.

You received the law as transmitted by angels,

but you did not observe it."

When they heard this, they were infuriated,

and they ground their teeth at him.

But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,

looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God

and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

and Stephen said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened

and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

But they cried out in a loud voice,

covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.

They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.

The witnesses laid down their cloaks

at the feet of a young man named Saul.

As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,

"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,

"Lord, do not hold this sin against them";

and when he said this, he fell asleep.

Now Saul was consenting to his execution.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab

R. (6a) Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Be my rock of refuge,

a stronghold to give me safety.

You are my rock and my fortress;

for your name's sake you will lead and guide me.

R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Into your hands I commend my spirit;

you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.

My trust is in the LORD;

I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.

R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your kindness.

You hide them in the shelter of your presence

from the plottings of men.

R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

John 6:35ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the bread of life, says the Lord;

whoever comes to me will never hunger.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

John 6:30-35

The crowd said to Jesus:

"What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?

What can you do?

Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat."

So 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.

For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven

and gives life to the world."

So they said to Jesus,

"Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus 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 1

Catholic Daily Reflections

The Bread of Life

So they said to Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” John 6:34–35

Imagine if you were to never grow hungry or never thirst again. On a natural level, this would be an interesting reality. Of course, if you never had physical hunger or thirst, then you may never enjoy the delight of good food and drink. So why would anyone want to lose out on such delights?

Of course, Jesus was not speaking of natural food and drink, He was speaking of supernatural hunger and thirst. And He was not saying that the spiritual food and drink He came to give us would eliminate our ability to delight in spiritual fulfillment. On the contrary, Jesus was saying that the spiritual food and drink He was to provide would result in never-ending fulfillment and satisfaction.

Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel will continue to be read throughout this week, the Third Week of Easter. This chapter presents us with what is traditionally called the “Bread of Life Discourse.” It’s John’s deep, mystical and profound teaching on the Most Holy Eucharist.

First of all, it’s useful to look at this Gospel within its context. Recall that on the previous day, Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and a crowd of people who had been fed by Him were now seeking more food. Jesus uses their desire for more food to begin to teach them about the Most Holy Eucharist, and He wants to do the same for you.

Put yourself into this scene. What is it that you hunger and thirst for the most? Perhaps you have plenty of physical food, but perhaps you don’t. If you do, what else do you crave? What do you desire? When you have identified your deepest desires right now, use these desires to allow our Lord to teach you about the Bread of Life. It might be useful to say to our Lord, “Here are my current desires in life…” And then, allow yourself to hear Jesus say to you, “I want to give you so much more. I am what you truly long for. If you come to Me, you will have all your desires fulfilled and more.” This is essentially the conversation Jesus had with this crowd throughout John Chapter 6.

Do you believe that the Most Holy Eucharist is capable of fulfilling you on the deepest level? Too often we approach that Sacrament in a lazy and distracted way. As a result, we often fail to truly receive our Lord on a level that provides this deepest delight and satisfaction.

Reflect, today and throughout this week, upon your approach to Holy Communion. The Eucharist is Christ Himself. It’s a gift that has the potential to not only sustain us in every way but also to draw us into the greatest Heavenly delights. Believe Jesus’ words in this holy chapter of John’s Gospel. For if you deepen your belief in all that Jesus has said, you will begin to realize that all you crave in life will begin to be fulfilled by this precious gift in ways beyond your imagination.

Reflection 2

One Bread, One Body

ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR GOD’S FOOD?

“God’s bread comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” —John 6:33

The Israelites were wandering in the desert without food. They complained to Moses and Aaron, saying it would have been better to eat the food of slavery than to die of famine in the freedom of the desert (Ex 16:2-3). In His mercy, God sent heavenly bread, which the Israelites called manna, to feed His people for forty years until they could eat of the produce of the promised land (Ex 16:13ff).

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus explained that the manna foreshadowed what God the Father was doing through Him. Jesus was sent from heaven to give life to the world (Jn 6:33). Jesus taught the crowd that He was the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35). The Father sent Him to feed His people with His flesh and thereby give them life in this world until they join the eternal banquet in the heavenly promised land.

The Israelites faced the choice of starving to death in the desert or eating the manna that God provided. However, most of us will not starve today if we don’t receive the Eucharist — or so we think. Would you prefer to starve spiritually as long as you were living comfortably? Let us place ourselves amongst the Israelites in the desert. Jesus bluntly states that if we don’t eat the heavenly manna, the Eucharist, we have no life in us (Jn 6:53). “Open your mouth and eat what” God gives you (Ez 2:8). Be as hungry for the Eucharist as if you were starving in the desert.

Prayer:  Father, change my desires so I only want to eat according to Your menu.

Promise:  “I Myself am the Bread of Life.” —Jn 6:35

Praise:  The Edgingtons bring their large family to daily Mass. They have prioritized Mass for their children over participation in sports.

Reflection 3

The Servants of the Word

I Am the Bread of Life

Do you hunger for the bread of life? The Jews had always regarded the manna in the wilderness as the bread of God (Psalm 78:24, Exodus 16:15). There was a strong Rabbinic belief that when the Messiah came he would give manna from heaven. This was the supreme work of Moses. Now the Jewish leaders were demanding that Jesus produce manna from heaven as proof to his claim to be the Messiah. Jesus responds by telling them that it was not Moses who gave the manna, but God. And the manna given to Moses and the people was not the real bread from heaven, but only a symbol of the bread to come.

Jesus then makes the claim which only God can make: I am the bread of life. The bread which Jesus offers is none else than the very life of God. This is the true bread which can truly satisfy the hunger in our hearts. The manna from heaven prefigured the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist or Lord's Supper which Jesus gave to his disciples on the eve of his sacrifice. The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. It could not produce eternal life for the Israelites.

The bread which Jesus offers his disciples sustains us not only on our journey to the heavenly paradise, it gives us the abundant supernatural life of God which sustains us both now and for all eternity. When we receive from the Lord's table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood and partakers of his divine life. Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.) calls it the "one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ" (Ad Eph. 20,2). This supernatural food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our journey heavenward. Do you hunger for God and for the food which produces everlasting life?

Prayers

My Eucharistic Lord, You are the Bread of Life. You are all that I desire in life. Give me the grace of understanding, dear Lord, so that I can come to believe all that You have revealed about the Most Holy Eucharist. I do believe, my God. Help my unbelief. Jesus, I trust in You.

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread of life. You alone can satisfy the hunger in my heart. May I always find in you, the true bread from heaven, the source of life and nourishment I need to sustain me on my journey to the promised land of heaven.

Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

Reflection 106: Sleeping in Christ

Each night, as you go to sleep, you are invited to sleep in the grace and Mercy of our Lord.  You are invited to rest in His arms so as to be rejuvenated and refreshed.  Sleep is an image of prayer and, in fact, can become a form of prayer.  To rest is to rest in God.  Every beat of your heart must become a prayer to God and every beat of His Heart must become the rhythm of your rest (See Diary #486).

Do you sleep in the presence of God?  Think about it.  When you retire to bed, do you pray?  Do you ask our Lord to surround you with His grace and to embrace you with His gentle arms?  God has spoken to the saints of old through their dreams.  He has put holy men and women into a deep rest so as to restore them and strengthen them.  Try to invite our Lord into your mind and heart as you lay your head down to sleep, this night.  And as you wake, let Him be the first one whom you greet.  Allow each night’s rest to be a resting in His Divine Mercy.

Lord, I thank You for the rhythm of each day.  I thank You for the ways You walk with me throughout my day and I thank You for being with me while I rest.  I offer to You, this night, my rest and my dreams.  I invite You to hold me close to You, that Your Heart of Mercy may be the gentle sound which soothes my weary soul.  Jesus, I trust in You.