Lectionary: 274
Reading 1
Acts 7:51-8:1a
Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
you always oppose the Holy Spirit;
you are just like your ancestors.
Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?
They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,
whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law as transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe it.”
When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”;
and when he said this, he fell asleep.
Now Saul was consenting to his execution.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab
R. (6a) Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
John 6:30-35
The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: Passionist
When Jesus told the crowd, "I am the Bread of Life," he was seeking to draw them closer to himself and the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately, the statement had the opposite outcome; many people walked away. The text in John 6 gives us glues as to the kind of people that left Jesus.
The first cluster of people are the Takers. They wanted free handouts, a gravy train. Jesus resisted their desire that he be a miracle worker, providing whatever they needed, whenever they needed. Jesus wanted to cultivate a sincere relationship, one that cannot be bought with goodies. Takers want the gift more than the giver. "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do [for us]?" These people look to God for what they can get. They are quick to turn their backs on God if God fails to deliver what they want.
The second group are the Conformists. They don't want a free lunch, but they do want a list of rules. They want life and religion to be very controlled. Again, they don't want a relationship with Jesus; they want to know clearly what behavior is right and what deed is wrong. They know the laws more than they know God. The laws give them security, a sense of pride in following the commandments exactly, and help them determine who is good and who is evil. They are very self-righteous, pointing to themselves as the good people and others as outside the law.
The final group are the Enthusiasts. Jesus had recently fed over 5,000 people with only 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. The day after that, many in the crowd wanted another sign, another miracle. They were feeling great about this Jesus who fed the thousands. So excited were they that the people climbed into boats, rowed across the lake and found Jesus. Jesus wanted to direct their excitement and enthusiasm to a relationship with him, to exchange excitement with faith. But they would have nothing to do with that and turned their backs. Today we know people who go from church to church looking for what they want: a preacher who excites them, a worship service that is more of a spiritual entertainment than a challenge to faith. They are on the sidelines waiting for the next new experience. They want Jesus to provide one mountain top experience after another. If there is a valley of darkness, they turn away. Enthusiasm is not bad; it can be helpful in drawing us into a relationship with Jesus. But if we are only chasing after the latest fad in church life, we won't find Jesus in the ordinary aspects of life, and our faith will remain on a superficial level. It is Jesus himself, not an event itself or a building or a preacher, who truly nourishes our faith.
These people wanted to do business with Jesus. They wanted a huge bakery to provide for their physical needs, strict rules to rationalize their judgments and excitement to stimulate their feelings. Jesus humbly wanted to have a personal relationship with them, to draw them closer to the Kingdom of God, and to nourish them more deeply as the Bread of Life. During this Easter Season we are reminded that Jesus gives us not only daily life but also eternal life.
Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago.
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