Gospel
Jesus said to the crowds:
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world."
Reflection
In this Gospel, what stands out to me are two things. First that "They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from Him comes to me" Second, is the last sentence, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world." What does it mean to be drawn by the Father? What does it mean when Jesus says, "the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world"?
Jesus declares Himself as the Bread of Life, offering His flesh for the life of the world. For Catholics, we believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, as He instituted during the Last Supper. Through this Sacrament, believers participate intimately in His sacrifice and receive His grace.
Jesus' words invite us to partake in His divine life, emphasizing that unless we listen and learn from the Father we will not be drawn to encounter Him in the Eucharist. This is the part that I had the hardest time understanding until I thought about the Holy Trinity. In these words, it seems that the Holy Trinity is at work helping believers to come to Jesus and have a deeper relationship with Him in the Holy Eucharist. The act of consuming His flesh and blood is a union of love and communion with Christ, nourishing the soul for eternal life and the body for our journey of faith in this world.
Praise God, I have a desire to learn and I am so very thankful that I can receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. I know there is so much more to the Words in this Gospel that I cannot even fathom. I think this is why Jesus says we must be drawn by the Father. Because we cannot understand the fullness of this mystery. Will you take the time to pray for our priests today? Without our priests, we would not be able to partake in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Here is The Prayer for Priests on our website. Thank you and God bless you.
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