Category: Uncategorized

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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

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Gospel: John 6:22-29

[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]

The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you. 
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” 
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Imagine hosting some of your closest friends for dinner. 

You really put out a good spread: steaks grilled to perfection, steaming baked potatoes with cheese, chives, and sour cream, a tossed green salad, a California Cabernet, and apple pie à la mode for dessert.

There’s laughter throughout the meal and the sharing of old memories. Both your heart and your stomach are full.

Then when it’s time for your guests to leave, they take out their wallets, put several twenties on the table and ask, “Now, how much do we owe you?”

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What a crazy question! Insulting, really. You can never repay the host.

Dinner is a gift, an act of love.

The best your guests can be is grateful for the laughter, the friendship, and a full stomach.

Maybe write a “thank you.”

In the very least, accept it.

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Acceptance.

This is what Jesus asks of us in today’s Gospel – and throughout the Easter season – simply to accept what he’s done for us. Like guests who cannot repay their host, we cannot repay Jesus for what he’s done.

“But, this is the work of God,” he says, “that you believe in the one he sent.”

Believe in Christ’s death and resurrection. And allow that belief to transform the way we see the world – and the role we play within it.

That is enough for God, our divine host.

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Image credits: (1) Tricia Goyer (2) Christ Church InTown (3) Linda Marie Lovison