Gospel: John 6:41-51
At that time, the Jews murmured against Jesus because he had said: “I am the living bread that has come down from heaven,” and they said: “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? How can he now say he has come down from heaven?” Jesus answered them: “Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets: All will be disciples of God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him, comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the one who comes from God; he has seen the Father. I assure you: whoever believes in me has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. This is the bread that has come down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever. And the bread I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”
Fruit: Value the Eucharist and take advantage of the moments of the Mass to worship it with your heart.
Guidelines for reflection:
Jesus is present in the Eucharist. How much we need that bread to face the efforts and fatigue of the day! The Mass is the perfect moment to draw strength from Jesus.
1. I am the bread
We can receive communion every day, but if it is not possible to attend daily Mass, Sundays are the ideal time to receive the Lord. Participating in the Sunday celebration and nourishing ourselves with the Eucharistic Bread is a necessity for every Christian. The Lord does not leave us alone; he is with us. “I am the bread,” and moreover, “the living bread.” The bread that gives us eternal life.
2. Whoever eats this bread will live forever
How can we not be filled with hope at such a promise? But the people who heard Jesus murmured incredulously. And us, do we still believe in eternal life? Have we not been imbued with ideologies contrary to faith and accepted or compromised with materialism that reduces everything to well-being here and now? The attitude of those people is also repeated today in the face of many’s indifference towards the Eucharist. It seems that, deep down, we do not want to have God so close, so available, so present in our lives, because He is there and very few visit Him.
3. A dynamic presence
The presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not static but dynamic, making us his own, identifying us with Him. This is a good opportunity for family reflection: do we nourish ourselves with the spiritual bread that is the word of God, the Eucharist, prayer, or do we only limit ourselves to receiving material bread, the goods of this world? Stay with us, Lord, stay with us forever!
Purpose: Attend Sunday Mass with my family and, if possible, also during the week.
