First Reading
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14B-16A
Moses said to the people:
“Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
“Do not forget the LORD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R. (12) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
we, though many, are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf.
Gospel
John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
“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.”
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” (John 6:54)
REFLECTION
What are the things you miss doing before the quarantine?
One of the things I missed the most is going to my friends’ houses or inviting them over to mine. There is something about being welcomed to someone else’s home or welcoming someone to our home that makes us feel like we belong.
Last January, I was lucky enough to have invited some of my long-time friends from my community, Bukas Loob sa Diyos, into my home. We just played games, ate, and talked until morning. But beyond the games, the best part for me was having company with people I love and trust. We have these moments wherein we are just talking heart to heart. All the stress worries or masks just fades away. During these moments, it is not only a weight of my shoulders to share to them my problems but also hearing their problems and sharing’s make me feel that we are all fighting our own struggles together.
In our situation today, we are not allowed to easily go out and hang out with friends unlike before. But this Sunday, Jesus invites us with his own hospitality. Like going to our friend’s houses, He offers us food and drink. Beyond the body and blood of Jesus, He also offers a heart to heart with us anytime of the day, open all year. Just like with our friends, He wants us to unload all our burdens upon Him as He unloads all His blessings upon us. Believe it or not, He is also fighting our struggles with us and He will give us the ultimate form of comfort. All we must do, is say yes to His hospitality.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for always inviting me to talk to You. Sometimes I do but I admit that most of the time, I am too busy or ashamed to speak to You. I take this moment to bask in Your presence and allow all my burdens to fade away and all your blessings to come in. All this I pray in Your most Holy Name. Amen.
Author
Click on the bubble to find out more about Justin!
Photo by: Randy Fath (@randyfath at unsplash.com)
Little Whispers 