Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. This is the Bread that comes down from heaven for a man to eat and never die.” —John 6:49-50 God gave Adam and Eve all kinds of good food in the garden of Eden (Gn 2:16). Sadly, their craving to eat beyond what God provided led to mankind’s downfall (Gn 3:6). God then provided miraculous manna to the Israelites when stranded in the desert (Ex 16:14ff). He “furnished them bread from heaven, ready to hand, untoiled-for, endowed with all delights and conforming to every taste” (Wis 16:20). The manna even...

“It is the will of Him Who sent Me that I should lose nothing of what He has given Me.” —John 6:39 Jesus’ food was to do His Father’s will (Jn 4:34). Jesus taught us to pray for His Father’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Mt 6:10). Jesus even promised: “Whoever does the will of My heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to Me” (Mt 12:50). Jesus insisted that only those who do the Father’s will can enter His kingdom (Mt 7:21). In the agony before His death, Jesus prayed to His...

“What must we do to perform the works of God?” —John 6:28 As a witness for the risen Christ, are you more fired up for Jesus as the Easter season progresses? Or is your fire out? Are you burnt out? Worse yet, have you never been on fire for Jesus? A piece of paper can be set afire by focusing the sun’s rays on it for an extended time through a magnifying glass. We can be set afire by exposing ourselves for an extended time to God’s grace magnified through Bible study (see Lk 24:32), the sacraments, community life (see...

“Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” —John 21:16 Three times Jesus addressed Peter not as “Peter,” the name Jesus had given him, but as “Simon, son of John,” Peter’s name before he met Christ (Jn 21:15, 16, 17). Jesus asked Peter three times: “Do you love Me?” Was Jesus questioning Simon about his love? Two weeks ago, every Catholic in the world who went to Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday Mass renewed baptismal promises by rejecting Satan and professing faith in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. What if Jesus asked you today...

“Look around among your own number, brothers, for seven men acknowledged to be deeply spiritual and prudent.” —Acts 6:3 Did you notice that the leaders of the early Church placed the responsibility for finding deacons on the “community of the disciples”? (Acts 6:2) That’s us! We are to be on the lookout for those who would make good leaders in the Church. This was new for the early Christians. Jewish priests and Levites were born into their positions. The apostles were called and chosen by Jesus Himself. The early Church, however, called the whole community of disciples to raise up...