Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 276
Reading 1
Acts 8:26-40
The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,
“Get up and head south on the road
that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.”
So he got up and set out.
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,
a court official of the Candace,
that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,
in charge of her entire treasury,
who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.
Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
The Spirit said to Philip,
“Go and join up with that chariot.”
Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
He replied,
“How can I, unless someone instructs me?”
So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
This was the Scripture passage he was reading:
Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will tell of his posterity?
For his life is taken from the earth.
Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,
“I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this?
About himself, or about someone else?”
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage,
he proclaimed Jesus to him.
As they traveled along the road
they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water.
What is to prevent my being baptized?”
Then he ordered the chariot to stop,
and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,
and he baptized him.
When they came out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away,
and the eunuch saw him no more,
but continued on his way rejoicing.
Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news
to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
John 6:51
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven,
says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
John 6:44-51
Jesus said to the crowds:
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
The Flesh of Our Lord
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.” John 6:51
Jesus was starting to stir up the emotions of some within the crowd. They began to ridicule Him because He had said that He was the “bread that had come down from heaven.” Thus, many of those who had sought Jesus out in hopes of another miraculous free meal began to murmur among themselves and ridicule Him. As a result, Jesus began to speak even more clearly and shockingly. He then went even further and said that He is not only the “living bread that came down from heaven” but that those who want to “live forever” must also eat His “Flesh.”
How would you have reacted to such a statement if you were among those within the crowd? Consider the fact that you would have recently seen, with your own eyes, the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Therefore, you would have realized that Jesus was someone special, to say the least. But how would you have reacted to this statement of Jesus, “and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world,” if you had heard it spoken at that time? Most likely, your reaction would have been the same reaction that you have right now to the teaching of the Most Holy Eucharist.
Many who heard Jesus speak this way may have thought it was a bit of an unusual thing to say. Some would have reacted strongly, while others would have reacted with indifference. But some would have had an entirely different reaction. Some would have heard Jesus speak these new and shocking words, would have realized that they did not fully understand what He meant, but would have believed deeply on account of the gift of faith. Somehow they would have known, in the depths of their consciences, that they did indeed need to eat the Flesh of Him Who came down from Heaven since He was indeed the Bread of Life.
Believing in the Eucharist, in the fact that these tangible and visible gifts of the Sacred Host and the Precious Blood are, in fact, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Eternal Son of God, can only happen through the interior and transforming gift of faith. How else can you believe such a teaching? How else could you believe that these words in today’s Gospel have come true? And that the reception of the Most Holy Eucharist is the pathway to eternal life? The gift of faith in the Most Holy Eucharist is the one and only way to understand, accept and deeply believe what our Lord has spoken in this Holy Gospel.
Reflect, today, upon Jesus speaking these most holy words for the first time: “…the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.” As you prayerfully reflect upon these words, ponder how deeply you believe them. How deep is your faith in the Most Holy Eucharist? The Eucharist is the fulfillment of this passage, and our divine Lord invites you to not only believe in His holy words but to allow this truth to transform you in ways beyond what you could ever imagine.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
HEAVENLY FOOD
“Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. This is the Bread that comes down from heaven for a man to eat and never die.” —John 6:49-50
When it comes to food, God provides and man derides. God gave Adam and Eve all kinds of good food in the garden of Eden (Gn 2:16). Sadly, their craving to eat beyond what God provided led to mankind’s downfall (Gn 3:6ff).
God then provided miraculous manna to the Israelites when they were stranded in the desert (Ex 16:14ff). He “furnished them bread from heaven, ready to hand, untoiled-for, endowed with all delights and conforming to every taste” (Wis 16:20). The manna even “was blended to whatever flavor each one wished”! (Wis 16:21) All this revealed God’s sweetness toward His children (Wis 16:21). However, the Israelites in the desert soon wearied of this miraculous, tasty fare. They were “disgusted with this wretched food” (Nm 21:5) that God provided. They wanted meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic (Nm 11:4-5).
Then, God once again provided His children with miraculous Bread from heaven. The infant Jesus came down from heaven and was placed in a manger, a feeding trough. This reveals that Jesus is Food. His “flesh is real food” (Jn 6:55). To make it unmistakable, Jesus proclaims: “I am the Bread of Life...I Myself am the Living Bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever; the bread I will give is My flesh, for the life of the world” (Jn 6:48, 51). Jesus in the Eucharist is God’s ultimate banquet. Will we reject this heavenly food? Or, will we gratefully eat what God provides?
Prayer: Father, may what enters and leaves my mouth be totally under Your lordship.
Promise: “Philip launched out with this Scripture passage as his starting point, telling him the good news of Jesus.” —Acts 8:35
Praise: Jesus set Sam free from an addiction to pornography. Now Sam is active in the fight to defend life
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
It is not by chance that we have come to believe in Jesus. Our becoming believers was already in God’s plan as the Gospel of today indicates. It was God who drew us to Jesus. Philip, baptizing the eunuch of Ethiopia, is an example of God’s mysterious intervention in our lives. In today’s Gospel, Jesus categorically declares that he is the living Bread that came down from Heaven. Whenever we participate in the Eucharist, we are privileged to eat this heavenly Bread. We are fortunate to have close communion with Jesus. Receiving this heavenly Bread also leads us and challenges us to be in communion with others. Do I truly experience the presence of the risen Lord whenever I eat this heavenly Bread?
Prayers
My Eucharistic Lord, You are truly the Bread of Life, and all those who eat Your Flesh and drink Your Blood will inherit eternal life. I do believe this, dear Lord. I believe that the Most Holy Eucharist is You, Your Soul and Divinity, given to me so that I can share in Your holy life. Give me the grace I need to deepen my faith in the Most Holy Eucharist so that I will be drawn more fully into the joys of Your Eternal Kingdom. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, you are the living bread which sustains me in this life. May I always hunger for the bread which comes from heaven and find in it the nourishment and strength I need to love and serve you wholeheartedly. May I always live in the joy, peace, and unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and in the age to come.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 108: The Voice of the Church
God has spoken to the saints in numerous ways including through many interior graces and inspirations. But even the greatest mystic, living on the heights of holiness, must ultimately submit to the Voice of God spoken through His Church. The Church, especially in the person of our Holy Father, is the clearest channel of the Voice of God in our world. Through the Church we will be led to Heaven. We must always strive to be in perfect union with Christ as He is alive and made manifest to us through His Church. We must let ourselves be led by God through our bishops, pastors and all to whom He has entrusted our pastoral care. Giving authority to the Church was God’s idea and plan; it must also become ours (See Diary #497).
Do you see the wisdom of the plan of God as He has chosen to reveal Himself to us through the Church? Do you believe in the Church as the Mother and Teacher of your faith? Do you especially trust in the words of our Holy Father, the Pope? Make an act of faith, this day, putting your wholehearted trust in the Voice of God spoken through His Church and you will begin to more fully understand the countless mysteries of life that God has revealed.
Dear Lord, I desire to be obedient to You in all things. I desire to hear Your Voice and follow Your commands. Help me to have the wisdom to discern You speaking and acting through Your Church. May I see beyond the person of the priest, bishop and the Holy Father so as to discover Your guiding hand. Jesus, I trust in You.
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