Author: admin

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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.

The Word of the Lord.

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The Acts of the Apostles describes the life and activity of the early Church. 

It was a dynamic era filled with both wins and losses. Yesterday, for example, Saint Stephen was stoned to death, becoming the first Christian martyr. 

But today the Church gains a disciple.

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Philip is leaving Jerusalem when he comes across an Ethiopian man reading the prophet Isaiah.

“I beg you,” the man says to Philip, “about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself or about someone else?”

Because Philip knows his faith, he’s able to break open the scriptures, explaining to this Ethiopian man that Jesus is the Messiah, the one whom Isaiah foretold.

This man believes and is baptized. Another disciple gained.

Tradition tells us this man went on to evangelize all of Ethiopia, which still has an active Christian community today.

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How many people do we know like this Ethiopian man – they’re either searching for answers or are on the fringe of belief?

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Even Catholics can fall into this category. Some have drifted from the Church. Others are hungry to know more about our faith, but are unsure where to turn.

If we are to bring them to Christ like Philip did, then we must know our faith – and why it matters to us.

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If someone asked you, “Who is Jesus? Why do you believe in him? Why does faith matter?”  

What might you say? 

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Image credits: (1) ThinkTheology.org (2) School of Rembrandt, The Baptism of the Eunuch 1632 (3) Ascension Press

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Gospel: John 6:35-40

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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m sure most of us have heard Bruce Springsteen’s famous song, “Everybody’s Got a Hungry Heart.” 

We can sing along because we know it’s true! Everybody’s got a hungry heart. 

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But how do we try to satisfy it?

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Jesus says to us in the Gospel today, the only way to find lasting fulfillment is to come to him, because he shows us how to love.

Love alone satisfies our hungry human hearts.

It’s a strange and mysterious truth, but it’s in giving that we receive; it’s in feeding others that we ourselves are fed.

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Nobody embodies this truth better than Jesus.

From his birth until his death, he gives himself away. He satisfied his hungry heart. How happy he must’ve been.

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Like Jesus, how do we give ourselves away? How do we love other people in order to be fed?

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Everybody’s got a hungry heart. 

But only those who love unconditionally like Christ can satisfy it.

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Image credits: (1) Bruce Springsteen, Everybody’s Got a Hungry Heart (2) Test Everything (3) Danielle Bernock

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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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger.” 

This is, perhaps, one of the best verses to describe the spirituality of Catholics.

We believe Christ gives himself to us – his very own Body and Blood – in the Eucharist. Receiving the Risen Christ becomes the promise of our own resurrection.

This is partially what has made this pandemic so difficult to bear. Many Catholics have gone over a year without receiving communion. I hear it often, “Father, I just want to receive Jesus again.”

Has this last year been an entire loss? Or can God bring something good out of it?

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Taking those words, “I just want to receive Jesus,” already demonstrates spiritual growth. 

Too often in life, we take people or things for granted, even the Eucharist. But being denied access to it for over a year has made some Catholics appreciate this Sacrament even more.

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We’ve also learned to be creative. When unable to attend Mass, many have looked for the Lord through private prayer, reading scripture, adoration, or spiritual communion by attending Mass virtually.

This extended period of isolation reminds us that God can give us his grace in a variety of ways.

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This pandemic can also bring about a greater sense of solidarity with other Catholics around the world. It’s a matter of mindfulness.

I spent a summer in El Salvador some years ago. The priest I stayed with was responsible for three parishes and ninety different communities, some several hours away. Because of the distance, many Catholics only saw a priest once a year.

Going without communion for a time can help us draw closer to our brothers and sisters who longed for the Lord before this pandemic and who will long for him well after.

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For those of us who can receive Jesus today, may we offer this grace for those who go without. This helps satisfy the prayer of Jesus, “That we may be one,” just as he and his Father are one.

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Image credits: (1) Faith Magazine (2) Opus Dei (3) The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix