GOSPEL
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:44-51
Jesus said to the crowd:
‘No one can come to me
unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me,
and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They will all be taught by God,
and to hear the teaching of the Father,
and learn from it,
is to come to me.
Not that anybody has seen the Father,
except the one who comes from God:
he has seen the Father.
I tell you most solemnly,
everybody who believes has eternal life.
‘I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the desert
and they are dead;
but this is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,
for the life of the world.’
‘No one can come to me
unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me,
and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They will all be taught by God,
and to hear the teaching of the Father,
and learn from it,
is to come to me.
Not that anybody has seen the Father,
except the one who comes from God:
he has seen the Father.
I tell you most solemnly,
everybody who believes has eternal life.
‘I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the desert
and they are dead;
but this is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,
for the life of the world.’
The Gospel of the Lord
Hunger and bread.
The Father has sown within me desires that illuminate the path He has laid out for me, and the foremost of these desires is Christ. Indeed, I yearn for Life, thirst for Truth, long to discover the Way, and crave Communion.
After awakening this hunger in me, the Father provides the Bread that quenches it by bestowing upon me Christ Himself. In Him, and only in Him, do we together achieve completeness—He as the Head and we as the Body.
Applied to Married Life:
Heather: At the start of my conversion, I believed I could attain communion solely with God, excluding you.
Archie: Many Christian marriages are at that juncture. What led you to realise that it wasn’t possible?
Heather: The Father had also instilled in me a longing for communion with you, and I realised that when I was graced by God and united with you, my heart found peace in you and grew nearer to the Lord.
Archie: God has embedded hints within our hearts, and these hints are those very desires. Thank you, Father, for these calls that guide us towards the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Archie: Many Christian marriages are at that juncture. What led you to realise that it wasn’t possible?
Heather: The Father had also instilled in me a longing for communion with you, and I realised that when I was graced by God and united with you, my heart found peace in you and grew nearer to the Lord.
Archie: God has embedded hints within our hearts, and these hints are those very desires. Thank you, Father, for these calls that guide us towards the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Mother,
You are also among our desires. Who doesn’t need a Mother? Who doesn’t require you as a Mother? Praise be to the Father.