Daily Catholic Mass Readings for May 2, 2017
First Reading: Acts 7.51 8.1a
51"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
Psalm 31
1In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!2Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!3For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me;4you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.5Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.6I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD.7I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul,8and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.9Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also.10For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.11Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.12I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.13For I hear the whispering of many--terror on every side!--as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.14But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."15My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!16Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!17O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol.18Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt.19Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!20In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.21Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.22I had said in my alarm, "I am cut off from your sight." But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.23Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.24Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!
Gospel: John 6.30-35
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.