First Reading: Acts 8:1b-8
They went about preaching the word.
There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.
Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a
R./ Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, "How tremendous are your deeds!"
R./ Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: Alleluia.
"Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!"
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R./ Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: 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./ Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: Alleluia.
Gospel Reading: John 6:35-40
This is the will of my Father, that all who see the Son may have eternal life.
Jesus said to the crowds,
"I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day."
Where am I headed? Do I go to Jesus?
The crowd who followed Jesus had experienced the sign of Jesus feeding the multitude in the desert. They hailed him as a prophet; wanted him to be their king. However, they refused to adhere to his words. They preferred to remain a crowd rather than to believe in Him and become His disciples. This was an actual problem the evangelist faced in his community when writing the Gospel. He attempts to address the unbelief of numerous people in the resurrection of Jesus. The Gospel also deals with the obvious fruits of the Spirit of Jesus at work within the Christian community.
John tells his community,’ If people refuse to come to Jesus and entrust themselves to him, they fail to be open to the inspirations of the Father who sent Jesus. Only those open to the Father’s inspiration can receive the grace to come to Jesus and believe in him.
Those who followed the “WAY” of Jesus in the early community were no more accepted in the synagogues by the Jews. They were driven away. John wants to reassure those ‘outcastes’ of society: “Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away” (Jn 6:37). That is the invitation to come to Jesus, the living one, to gain immunity against death.
In his reflections on the passage, Pope Francis writes: “To come to Jesus: this might seem a generic and even a cliched spiritual exhortation. But let us try to make it concrete by asking a few questions: Today, in the files that I handled in the office, did I draw nearer to the Lord? Did I make them an occasion for speaking to him? In the persons whom I met, did I involve Jesus?
Did I bring them to him in prayer? Or did I do everything while thinking only of my concerns, rejoicing only in things that went well for me and complaining about those that didn’t? To keep it in one word, did I live my day coming to the Lord, or was I simply orbiting around myself? And where am I headed? Do I seek only to make a good impression and protect my ego, schedule and free time? Or do I come to the Lord?
Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by these thoughts. We will be more attuned to the desire that Jesus expresses in today’s Gospel: that he loses nothing of what the Father has given him (cf. Jn 6:39). Amid so many worldly voices that make us forget the meaning of life, let us grow attuned to the will of Jesus, risen and alive. Thus we will make our lives this day a dawn of resurrection.
bibleclaretIntroduction
The fervor of the young Church is so contagious, that even in persecution Christians use the occasion of the persecution itself to preach the risen Christ. Indeed, God does not abandon the Church, even in moments of trial. The reading from Acts says that there was even great joy over the signs of the Lord’s presence.
There is also a great joy in the Gospel where we hear Jesus says that he is our bread of life: not only will he later give himself as bread to eat, but his word and message are for us real bread of life, something to live by and to live for.
Opening Prayer
God, our Father,
you are our faithful God,
even in days of trial for the Church
and for each of us personally;
you stay by our side,
even if we are not aware of your presence.
Give us an unlimited trust in you
and make us ever more aware
that your Son Jesus is the meaning of our lives
and that he nourishes us with himself,
today and every day, forever.
General Intercessions
– That by the way they live their faith, Christians may show the beauty and joy of the message of Christ to those who seek, we pray:
– That the Church may accept people the way they are and not drive them away because of mistakes, we pray:
– That we may all be open-handed to many who are hungry today for food and love, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Our faithful God,
you are our God of the covenant.
Make us understand the covenant more deeply
as your lasting commitment to us
at your own initiative.
In these signs of bread and wine,
allow us to express that we too,
want to be faithful to you not only
in moments of happiness and joy
but also when we are groping in the dark.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our faithful God,
we rejoice that in your Son, Jesus,
and his message of life,
you have given us something
and someone to live for.
Thank you very much for making him
our bread of life,
who will never drive us away
but will keep accepting us
and making us grow in his life
until it blossoms forth in eternal life.
All thanks through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
“I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me to drink,” says Jesus. May you always keep recognizing Jesus in the needy, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
