APRIL 28, 2020 : TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF EASTER

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 274

Reading 1ACTS 7:51—8:1A

Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
you always oppose the Holy Spirit;
you are just like your ancestors.
Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?
They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,
whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law as transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe it.”

When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”;
and when he said this, he fell asleep.

Now Saul was consenting to his execution.

Responsorial Psalm31:3CD-4, 6 AND 7B AND 8A, 17 AND 21AB

R.    (6a)  Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R.    Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.
R.    Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    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.    Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

AlleluiaJN 6:35AB

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the bread of life, says the Lord;
whoever comes to me will never hunger.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 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.”

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chanel, please go here.

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Louis Mary de Montfort, please go here.

www.usccb.org

Meditation: "I am the bread of life"

Do you hunger for the bread of life? The Jews had always regarded the manna in the wilderness as the bread of God (Psalm 78:24, Exodus 16:15). There was a strong Rabbinic belief that when the Messiah came he would give manna from heaven. This was the supreme work of Moses. Now the Jewish leaders were demanding that Jesus produce manna from heaven as proof to his claim to be the Messiah. Jesus responds by telling them that it was not Moses who gave the manna, but God. And the manna given to Moses and the people was not the real bread from heaven, but only a symbol of the bread to come.

Jesus offers us the bread of heaven which produces spiritual life in us
Jesus then makes the claim which only God can make: I am the bread of life. The bread which Jesus offers is none else than the very life of God. This is the true bread which can truly satisfy the hunger in our hearts. The manna from heaven prefigured the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist or Lord's Supper which Jesus gave to his disciples on the eve of his sacrifice. The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. It could not produce eternal life for the Israelites.

Jesus is the true bread of life that sustains us now and forever
The bread which Jesus offers his disciples sustains us not only on our journey to the heavenly paradise, it gives us the abundant supernatural life of God which sustains us both now and for all eternity. When we receive from the Lord's table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood and partakers of his divine life. Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.) calls it the "one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ" (Ad Eph. 20,2). This supernatural food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our journey heavenward. Do you hunger for God and for the food which produces everlasting life?

"Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread of life. You alone can satisfy the hunger in my heart. May I always find in you, the true bread from heaven, the source of life and nourishment I need to sustain me on my journey to the promised land of heaven."

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Trusting in the Lord, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"If you put your trust in money, you are paying futile regard to vain things; if you put your trust in high office or some exalted rank in human government, you are paying futile regard to vain things... When you put your trust in all these, either you expire and leave them all behind, or they will crumble while you are still alive, and what you trusted will have let you down...  For my part, I do not put my trust in empty things as they do or pay futile regard to them; I have put my trust in the Lord." (excerpt from Exposition on the Psalms 31,12)

www.dailyscripture.net

TUESDAY, APRIL 28, JOHN 6:30-35
EASTER WEEKDAY
(Acts 7:51 ̶ 8:1a; Psalm 31)

KEY VERSE: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst" (v.35).
TO KNOW: Even though the people had witnessed Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves in the wilderness, they demanded another "sign" such as Moses gave their ancestors, the "manna" in the desert (Ex 16:15). By seeking signs, they were looking for perishable food and were missing the true nourishment that God had given them. The people were focusing on their physical hunger. They must look to Jesus who was the authentic sign of God's providential care. It was God, not Moses, who provided the "bread from heaven" (v.32). Jesus is the "Bread of Life" (v.35) who gives eternal salvation for all who believe in him.
TO LOVE: Is there someone who I can help to appreciate Jesus' presence in the Eucharist?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, you are the bread that feeds my soul for life everlasting.

Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chanel, priest and martyr

Peter Chanel was born in France and was ordained in 1827 at age 24. He was assigned to Crozet, a parish in decline, and brought about a spiritual revival. The reading of letters of missionaries in far-away lands inflamed his heart with zeal, and he resolved to devote his life to the Apostolate. He joined the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) in 1831. He taught at the Belley seminary for five years, and led a band of missionaries to the New Hebrides in 1836, an area where cannibalism had only recently been outlawed. He learned the local language, and taught in the local school. He converted many, in part because of his ministry to the sick. Niuliki, a native king who was jealous of his influence. Thus, on April 28, 1841, three years after his arrival, Peter was seized and clubbed to death by those he had come to serve. Within five months the entire island was converted to Christianity. Peter Chanel became the first martyr in Oceania.​

Optional Memorial of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, priest

Under the Blessed Virgin Mary's inspiration, to whom he was devoted, Louis Grignion de Montfort founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, a religious institute of women devoted to the care of the destitute. During this work, he began his apostolate of preaching the Rosary and authentic Marian devotion. He preached so effectively against the errors of Jansenism that he was expelled from several dioceses in France. In Rome Pope Clement XI conferred on him the title and authority of Missionary Apostolic, which enabled him to continue his work. Louis was one of the greatest apostles of the Rosary in his day, and by means of his inspiring book, The Secret of the Rosary, he is still so today. The most common manner of reciting the Rosary is the method that originated with Saint Louis's preaching. In 1715, he founded a missionary band known as the Company of Mary.
NOTE: Jansenism refers to the austere doctrines of Cornelius Jansen who denied free will, and held that human beings, depraved in nature, were unable to resist God's grace. Jansenist teaching was akin to Calvin's doctrine of predestination. Jansenism was condemned by Pope Innocent X in 1653, and by Clement XI in 1713. The strict and morally rigorous movement lingered on, and continued to have an influence on moral and spiritual writing.

www.togetherwithgodsword.com

Tuesday 28 April 2020

St Peter Chanel

Acts 7:51-8:1. Into your hands, O Lord, I entrust my spirit – Psalm 30(31):3-4, 6, 8, 17, 21. John 6:30-35.
‘I am the bread of life: anyone who comes to me will not be hungry.’

This promise of Jesus addresses needs in us deeper even than our physical needs. It reminds us that we cannot live on bread alone. We have a right to material necessities, and an obligation to provide them for those who do not have them, but we would be deluding ourselves if we believed our or others’ hunger would be satisfied by this world’s goods alone.

As St Augustine said: ‘You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless till they rest in you.’ Our appetite for God is insatiable: the goods of this world are not adequate to it. Only God himself will suffice. God gives us the nourishment of the Eucharist—Christ himself—for food and drink. Lord Jesus: be bread for my journey so that others may draw life from our communion. Bring light to my heart as I call upon your name.

http://www.pray.com.au/gospel_reflection/tuesday-28-april-2020/

Saint Peter Chanel

Saint of the Day for April 28

(1803 – April 28, 1841)

 

Statue of Saint Peter Chanel | à Cuet, Montrevel-en-Bresse | photo by Chabe01

Saint Peter Chanel’s Story

Anyone who has worked in loneliness, with great adaptation required and with little apparent success, will find a kindred spirit in Peter Chanel.

Born in France, Peter’s interest in the missions began in school, when he read letters missionaries to America sent back home. As a young priest, Peter revived a parish in a “bad” district by the simple method of showing great devotion to the sick. Wanting to be a missionary, he joined the Society of Mary, the Marists, at 28. Obediently, he taught in the seminary for five years. Then, as superior of seven Marists, he traveled to Western Oceania. The bishop accompanying the missionaries left Peter and a brother on Futuna Island northeast of Fiji, promising to return in six months. He was gone five years.

Meanwhile, Peter struggled with this new language and mastered it, making the difficult adjustment to life with whalers, traders, and warring natives. Despite little apparent success and severe want, he maintained a serene and gentle spirit, plus endless patience and courage. A few natives had been baptized, a few more were being instructed. When the chieftain’s son asked to be baptized, persecution by the chieftain reached a climax. Father Chanel was clubbed to death.

Within two years after his death, the whole island became Catholic and has remained so. He was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1954. Peter Chanel is the first martyr of Oceania and its patron.

---

Reflection

Suffering for Christ means suffering because we are like Christ. Very often the opposition we meet is the result of our own selfishness or imprudence. We are not martyrs when we are “persecuted” by those who merely treat us as we treat them. A Christian martyr is one who, like Christ, is simply a witness to God’s love, and brings out of human hearts the good or evil that is already there.

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-peter-chanel/

Lectio Divina: John 6:30-35

Lectio Divina

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Easter Time

1) Opening prayer

Lord our God, generous Father,
You have given us Your Son Jesus
that we may relive with Him and like Him
His passion and His resurrection. Through Jesus, give us the courage
to place ourselves into Your hands
in the trials of life and in death,
that one day we may see Your glory
and at Your right hand Your Son Jesus Christ,
who lives with You for ever.

2) Gospel Reading - 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."

3) Reflection

• The discourse of the Bread of Life is not a text to be discussed and dissected, but rather it should be meditated on and pondered. This is why, even if it is not fully understood, we should not be concerned. This text of the Bread of Life demands a whole life to meditate on it and deepen it. People have to read it, meditate it, pray it, think about it, read it again, repeat it and ponder it, as one does with a good sweet in the mouth. We turn it and turn it in the mouth until it is finished. The one who reads the fourth Gospel superficially may have the impression that John always repeats the same thing. Reading it more attentively, one becomes aware that it is not a question of repetition. The author of the fourth Gospel has his own way of repeating the same theme, but always at a higher and more profound level. It seems to be like a winding staircase. By turning, one reaches the same place, but always at a higher level or a more profound one.

• John 6:30-33: What sign will you yourself do, the sign which will make us believe in you? People had asked: What should we do to carry out the work of God? Jesus responds: “The work of God is to believe in the one who was sent”, that is to believe in Jesus. This is why people formulate a new question: “Which sign do you do so that we can see and can believe? Which work do you do?” This means that they did not understand the multiplication of the loaves as a sign from God to legitimize Jesus before the people, as the one sent by God! They continue to argue: In the past our fathers ate the manna which Moses gave them! They called it “bread from Heaven” (Ws 16:20), that is, “bread of God”. Moses continues to be the great leader in whom to believe. If Jesus wants the people to believe in Him, He should work a greater sign than Moses. “What work do you do?”

• Jesus responds that the bread given by Moses was not the true bread from heaven. Coming from on high, yes, but it was not the bread of God, because it did not guarantee life to anyone. All of them died in the desert (Jn 6:49). The true bread of heaven, the bread of God, is the one which conquers death and gives life! It is the one which descends from Heaven and gives life to the world. It is Jesus Himself! Jesus tries to help the people to liberate themselves from the way of thinking of the past. For Him, fidelity to the past does not mean to close up oneself in the ancient things and not accept renewal. Fidelity to the past means to accept the newness which comes as the fruit of the seed which was planted in the past.

• John 6:34-35: Lord, gives us always of that bread! Jesus answers clearly: “I am the bread of life!” To eat the bread of heaven is the same as to believe in Jesus and accept to follow the road that He teaches us, that is: “My food is to do the will of the one who has sent me and to complete his work!” (Jn 4:34). This is the true food which nourishes the person, which transforms life and gives new life. This last verse of today’s Gospel (Jn 6:35) will be taken back as the first verse of tomorrow’s Gospel (Jn 6:35-40)

4) Personal questions

• Hungry for bread, hungry for God. Which of these two predominates in me?
• Jesus says: “I am the bread of life”. He takes away hunger and thirst. Which of these experiences do I have in my life?

5) Concluding Prayer

Lord turn Your ear to me, make haste.
Be for me a rock-fastness,
a fortified citadel to save me.
You are my rock, my rampart;
true to Your name, lead me and guide me! (Ps 31:1-2)

www.ocarm.org