Daily Readings - Tue May 02 2017

Acts

Chapter 7

⁵¹"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

¹And Saul approved of his execution.And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

John

Chapter 6

³⁰So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?³¹Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"³²Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.³³For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."³⁴They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."³⁵Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter two distinct yet interconnected themes: the challenges of faith and the true nature of spiritual nourishment. The first reading from Acts describes a time of great turmoil for the early Church, where persecution leads to the dispersion of believers. This scattering, though it seems chaotic, becomes the catalyst for the spread of the Gospel beyond Jerusalem. The passage also reflects on the resistance to the Holy Spirit, a recurring theme in the history of God's people, highlighting the tension between faith and obstinacy. The Gospel from John presents Jesus as the Bread of Life, a discourse that follows the feeding of the 5000. Here, Jesus shifts the focus from physical bread to spiritual nourishment, emphasizing that He is the true bread from heaven. The people's request for a sign is met with Jesus' profound revelation of His divine role, inviting them to move beyond physical satisfaction to a deeper, eternal fulfillment. These readings invite us to reflect on our own response to God's presence in our lives. Like the early Christians, we may face challenges that test our faith, but these can also be opportunities for growth and spreading God's message. Jesus' identification as the Bread of Life reminds us to seek spiritual sustenance in Him, trusting in His providence even amidst life's uncertainties. Let us embrace the Holy Spirit's guidance and find our true fulfillment in Jesus, the Bread of Life.