MAY 06, 2019 : MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF EASTER

Monday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 273

Reading 1ACTS 6:8-15

Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Then they instigated some men to say,
"We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God."
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,
and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
"This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us."
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Responsorial PsalmPS 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30

R.(1ab) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I declared my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.

AlleluiaMT 4:4B

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 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."

www.usccb.org

Meditation: Labor for the food which endures to eternal life

 What do you most hunger for - wealth, peace, health, love, the good life? Jesus addressed this issue with those who sought him after he performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-15). Were they simply hungry for things which satisfy the body or for that which satisfies the heart and soul? 

Only God can satisfy the deepest hunger we experience
Jesus echoes the question posed by the prophet Isaiah: "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy" (Isaiah 55:2)? There are two kinds of hunger - physical and spiritual. Only God can satisfy the hunger in our heart and soul - the hunger for truth, for life, and for love.

Believe in Jesus Christ who alone can satisfy us now and forever
Jesus also spoke about the works of God and what we must do to be doing the works of God, namely to believe in God' Son whom he has sent into the world. Jesus offers a new relationship with God which issues in a new kind of life: A life of love and service, and the forgiveness of others which corresponds to God's mercy and kindness; a life of holiness and purity which corresponds to God's holiness; and a life of submission and trust which corresponds to the wisdom of God. This is the work which Jesus directs us to and enables us to perform in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you hunger for the bread which comes down from heaven and thirst for the words of everlasting life?

"Lord Jesus, you alone can satisfy the deepest longing and hunger in our hearts. May I always hunger for the imperishable bread, that I may be satisfied in you alone as the True Bread of Heaven. Nourish and strengthen me that I may serve you with great joy, generosity, and zeal all the days of my life".

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: God is our landlord, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Our wish, you see, is to attain to eternal life. We wish to reach the place where nobody dies, but if possible we do not want to get there via death. We would like to be whisked away there while we are still alive and see our bodies changed, while we are alive, into that spiritual form into which they are to be changed when we rise again. Who wouldn't like that? Isn't it what everybody wants? But while that is what you want, you are told, Quit. Remember what you have sung in the psalm: 'A lodger am I on earth'” If you are a lodger, you are staying in someone else's house; if you are staying in someone else's house, you quit when the landlord bids you. And the landlord is bound to tell you to quit sooner or later, and he has not guaranteed you a long stay. After all, he did not sign a contract with you. Seeing that you are lodging with him for nothing, you quit when he tells you to. And this, too, has to be put up with, and for this, too, patience is very necessary." (excerpt from Sermon 359A,8)

www.dailyscripture.net

MONDAY, MAY 6, JOHN 6:22-29
Easter Weekday
(Acts 6:8-15; Psalm 119)

KEY VERSE: "Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life" (v.27).
TO KNOW: After the miraculous multiplication of loaves, the crowd noticed that Jesus' disciples had departed by boat across the Sea of Galilee. Assuming that Jesus was nearby, they waited impatiently for his return. Failing to find him, they went in search of him across the lake to Capernaum. When they found him, Jesus said that they were looking for him for the wrong reasons. They were like Israel in the desert after their escape from Egypt. Alone, afraid, without food, they clamored for the manna that Moses gave them in the wilderness. But they missed the true meaning of the sign, food that "endures for eternal life" (Jn 6:27). Jesus told the crowd that food appeased hunger momentarily; they should look to God to satisfy their spiritual needs. No one could work for this gift, deserve it, nor earn it. The only way to receive it was to believe in Jesus, the one whom God had sent to them.
TO LOVE: What can I do to nourish someone's spiritual hunger?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, you are the life-giving food that I desire.

www.togetherwithgodsword.com

Monday 6 May 2019

Acts 6:8-15. Psalm 118(119):23-24, 26-27, 29-30. John 6:22-29.

Blessed are they who walk in the way of the Lord – Psalm 118(119):23-24, 26-27, 29-30. 

‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’

Today’s gospel reminds us that our greatest work as Christians is to believe in Jesus Christ. We adhere to him in faith and do not simply seek the things he can give us or do for us. Faith is the foundation for everything else we do.

The first reading gives us an example of what can happen if we do believe and open ourselves to the presence and power of the risen Jesus. In Stephen we see a person grasped by the Spirit, full of grace and power, whose words are bold and unafraid in the face of opposition.

Lord Jesus, I believe; help my unbelief! Help me to make room for the Spirit to work within me, to be the source of my life, the wellspring of my salvation. Deepen my faith and love and empower me for single-minded service of you for and with others.

www.pray.com.au

Saints Marian and James

Saint of the Day for May 6

(d. May 6, 259)

 

“The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer” | Jean-Léon Gérôme

Saints Marian and James’s Story

Saints Marian, an ordained lector, and James, a deacon, were martyred during the persecution of Valerian around the year 259. Few other facts are known about them.

It seems that while they were in prison, each had a vision regarding his martyrdom. They drew courage from these apparitions and were able to courageously face death. They were joined in their deaths by other Christians.

---

Reflection

The old saying that the more things change the more they stay the same may apply to today’s celebration. Two faithful people facing the hardships of life during persecution in the third century may have a lot in common with those facing persecution for their faith today.

www.franciscanmedia.org

Lectio Divina: John 6:22-29

Lectio Divina

Monday, May 6, 2019

Easter Time

1) Opening prayer

Our living God,
we hunger for lasting life and happiness
and the fulfillment of all our hopes.
Satisfy all our hungers
through your Son Jesus Christ, who is our bread of life.
And when he has filled us with himself,
may he lead and strengthen us
to bring to a waiting world
the food of reconciliation and joy,
which you alone can give to the full.
We ask this thorough Christ our Lord.

2) Gospel Reading - John 6:22-29

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.”

3) Reflection

• In today’s Gospel we begin the discourse on the Bread of Life (Jn 6:22-71), which is extended during the next six days, until the end of the week. After the multiplication of the loaves, the people follow Jesus. They had seen the miracle; they had eaten and were satiated and wanted more! They were not concerned about looking for the sign or the call of God that was contained in all of this. When the people found Jesus in the synagogue at Capernaum, He had a long conversation with them, called the Discourse of the Bread of Life. It is not really a discourse, but it is a series of seven brief dialogues which explain the meaning of the multiplication of the bread, symbol of the new Exodus and of the Eucharistic Supper.

• It is good to keep in mind the division of the chapter in order to understand better its significance:

6:1-15: the great multiplication of the loaves
6:16-21: the crossing of the lake, and Jesus who walks on the water
6:22-71: the dialogue of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples
1st dialogue: 6:22-27 with the people: the people seek Jesus and find Him in Capernaum
2nd dialogue: 6:28-34 with the people: faith as the work of God and the manna of the desert
3rd dialogue: 6:35-40 with the people: the true bread is to do God’s will.
4th dialogue: 6:41-51 with the Jews: the complaining of the Jews
5th dialogue: 6:52-58 with the Jews: Jesus and the Jews.
6th dialogue: 6:59-66 with the disciples: reaction of the disciples
7th dialogue: 6:67-71 with the disciples: confession of Peter

• The conversation of Jesus with the people, with the Jews, and with the disciples is a beautiful dialogue, but a demanding one. Jesus tries to open the eyes of the people in a way that they will learn to read the events and discover in them the turning point that life should take. It is not enough to follow behind miraculous signs which multiply the bread for the body. Man does not live by bread alone. The struggle for life without mysticism does not reach the roots. The people, while speaking with Jesus, always remain more annoyed or upset by his words. But Jesus does not give in, neither does He change the exigencies. The discourse seems to be a funnel. In the measure in which the conversation advances, fewer people remain with Jesus. At the end only the twelve remain there, but Jesus cannot trust them either! Today the same thing happens. When the Gospel begins to demand commitment, many people withdraw and go away.

• John 6:22-27: People look for Jesus because they want more bread. The people follow Jesus. They see that He did not go into the boat with the disciples and, because of this, they do not understand what He had done to reach Capernaum. They did not even understand the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. People see what has happened, but they cannot understand all this as a sign of something more profound. They stop only on the surface; in being satisfied with the food. They look for bread and life, but only for the body. According to the people, Jesus does what Moses had done in the past: to feed all the people in the desert. According to Jesus, they wanted the past to be repeated. But Jesus asks the people to take a step more and advance. Besides working for the bread that perishes, they should work for the imperishable food. This new food will be given by the Son of Man, indicated by God Himself. He brings life which lasts forever. He opens for us a new horizon on the sense of life and on God.

• John 6:28-29: Which is God’s work? The people ask: what should we do to carry out this work of God? Jesus answers that the great work of God asks us to “believe in the one sent by God”. That is, to believe in Jesus!

4) Personal questions

• The people were hungry, they eat the bread, and they look for more bread. They seek the miracle and do not seek the sign of God which was hidden in that. What do I seek more in my life: a miracle or a sign or the meaning?
• Keep silence within you for a moment and ask yourself: “To believe in Jesus: What does this mean for me specifically in my daily life?”
• What do I really work for in my life? Food that perishes or food that endures? Am I not committed and do a little of both, “just in case”?

5) Concluding Prayer

Lord, I tell You my ways and You answer me;
teach me Your wishes.
Show me the way of Your precepts,
that I may reflect on Your wonders. (Ps 119:26-27)

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