＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

1 Kings 19:4-8

 He himself disappeared into the desert

Going on a day’s journey. Then he sat down under a broom tree and prayed to die, “That is enough, Yahweh, take away my life for I am dying.”  He lay down and went to sleep under the broom tree. Then an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”  Elijah looked and saw, at his head, a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and went back to sleep.   

The angel of Yahweh came a second time to him, saying, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too long for you.”   He got up, ate and drank, and on the strength of that food, he traveled for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

 

Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9(9a)

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

 

 ＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Ephesians 4:30—5:2

Do not sadden the Holy Spirit of God which you were marked with. It will be your distinctive mark on the day of sal­vation.   Do away with all quarreling, rage, anger, insults and every kind of malice:   be good and understanding, mutually forgiving one another as God forgave you in Christ.

 As most beloved children of God, strive to imitate him. Follow the way of love, the example of Christ who loved you. He gave himself up for us and became the offering and sacrificial victim whose fragrance rises to God.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊   

John 6:41-51

 The Jews murmured because Jesus had said, “I am the bread which comes from heaven.” And they said, “This man is the son of Joseph, isn’t he? We know his father and mother. How can he say that he has come from heaven?”

Jesus answered them, “Do not murmur among yourselves.   No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise him up on the last day.   It has been written in the Prophets: They shall all be taught by God. So whoever listens and learns from the Father comes to me.

 For no one has seen the Father except the One who comes from God; he has seen the Father.   Truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.  I am the bread of life.   Though your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, they died.  But here you have the bread which comes from heaven so that you may eat of it and not die.

 I am the living bread which has come from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I shall give is my flesh and I will give it for the life of the world.”

 

 Gospel Reflection：

Read: Jesus continues his discourse on the bread of life. He now publicly identifies himself as the bread that came down from heaven. People began to murmur, having difficulty understanding the claims of Jesus. However, Jesus continued and reinforced his claim as the bread that gives life to the world.

Reflect: Bread is an important symbol in the consciousness of Israel. They recall Mana, the wonderful bread that descended from heaven when they were wandering in the desert and pining for the fleshpots of Egypt that they left behind. Also, on the eve of their going away from Egypt, they baked bread hastily for the long journey ahead. It reminded them of God's special care for them. And here in front of them is Jesus claiming to be the bread coming down from heaven. It is a shock for them. That is why some leave immediately.

The enormity of Jesus' claim is beyond their comprehension. And so, people who cannot grasp the truth sometimes prefer to walk away rather than chew on it for some time until comprehension dawns. For sure, some mysteries even last beyond one's lifetime.

But each time an insight is drawn, it gets clearer as we progress along. What we do not know yet, faith supplies. And so, believing in Jesus needs vigorous spiritual muscles that can take the grind of spending a lifetime understanding the teachings of the Lord. The lazy and the weak walk away. Those willing to be shaped by Jesus' truth remain despite the long walk ahead to grasp the mystery.

Respond: How do we act in the face of a mystery?  Do we never bother to understand them and prepare to cling to what we have no matter how small? Perhaps we have to flex our spiritual resolve from time to time to spend moments wrestling with the mystery of our faith. We can start a journey of understanding by going a little bit deeper into the articles of faith as laid forth in the Apostles Creed. This will be a wonderful adventure in the deepening of our understanding of faith.