Readings & Reflections: Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter & St. Peter of Tarentaise, May 8,2019

“A severe persecution” broke out and “all were scattered throughout the countryside.” But that crisis – that cross – was a blessing in disguise, for “those who had been scattered went about preaching the Word.” Thanks to that scattering, the Bread of Life is also brought to “many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people.” Those rejected by the world find in Jesus the one who loves with divine plenitude: “I will not reject anyone who comes to me,” and “Whoever comes to me will never hunger.”

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

Dear Jesus, Come into my life and take your place at the very center of my heart. Make me realize, at all times, that You are the Giver of all blessings and nothing comes to the Father unless it goes through You. Thank you for all the grace and the blessings you have bestowed on me. Continue to inhabit my heart and help me to evangelize those around me. Always guide me on the path you have planned for me and if I ever fail You and sin against You, please forgive me and erase every stain in my heart. Lord Jesus, You are the Bread of Life and with You in my life, I will never hunger, neither will I ever thirst. In your Name, I pray. Amen.

Reading 1 ACTS 8:1B-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm PS 66:1-3A, 4-5, 6-7A

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia SEE JN 6:40

Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day, says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – New life in Christ

Most of us who turned a new life in Christ often shared that for a long time we had a thirst for something which we could not really define. We felt incomplete and searched for what will sustain us and nourish us. Despite the heights of success and the material things that we accumulated, we still felt empty and lacking. But because God never left us, He sent Jesus to fill us and complete us. He gave us Jesus that we might see and realize what that dry, parched, empty feeling inside us was really all about – we were thirsting for love that would last, love that would fill us, make us full and give us a more authentic purpose to our lives.

No one can deny that we all have a mighty thirst for a love that endures which can give purpose, shape and meaning to our lives. We may have looked for that love in all sorts of places, often in dead end streets, in perilous and life threatening situations, all for the sake of that elusive love.

At times, we think we have caught a glimpse of it, only to slip away. But by the immeasurable love Jesus has witnessed to us on the Cross He showed us where to find what we have searched for all these years.

Because of God’s perfect love for all of us, He made sure that the deepest recesses of our hearts are touched and nourished, so that we may never settle for anything less than Himself at the very center of our hearts and our lives.

Jesus is big enough to fill us to the full. He alone can give purpose to our lives. He alone can bring us living waters – a joy that lasts forever. He alone can give life for He is life! Jesus is “the bread of life; whoever comes to Him will never hunger and whoever believes in Him will never thirst.”

Direction

We must come to Jesus and accept Him by faith.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I have come to believe and follow your Son. So help me with your grace that I may be a faithful disciple and servant. In Jesus, I live and pray. Amen.

Reflection 2 – Jesus, our living hope

In the gospel today, Jesus makes three claims here. First he offers himself as bread of life, the spiritual food which produces the very life of God within us. The life Jesus refers to is connected with God, the author of life. Real life is a relationship with the living God, a relationship of trust, love, obedience, peace, and joy. This is what Jesus makes possible for us – a loving relationship with God who created us for love with him. Apart from Jesus no one can enter that kind of life and relationship. Second, he promises unbroken friendship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from God. Third, he offers us the hope of sharing in his resurrection. Those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be raised up to immortal life with Jesus when he comes again on the last day. Do you know the joy and hope of the resurrection?

There was a story of a man whose mother just died few days ago and talking to the Lord about his sadness. He reads the gospel of John 6:39, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” He believed that her Mom’s spirit was already with the Lord and one day be raised and given a new body.

As he continued reading, he noticed three times Jesus said He will raise His people from the dead at the last day. He was repeating this truth to those who were listening long ago as well as to his heart that day.

Our hope of resurrection will be realized when Jesus returns. Saint Paul wrote, “In a moment, in the twinkling on an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor 15:52). After the resurrection, believers in Jesus will receive their new bodies and rewards for their faithful service (1 Cor 3:12-15; 2 Cor 5:9-11).

The resurrection is the living hope of the Christian. Do you have that hope? “Jesus arose and conquered death; He robbed it of its fear and power; and one day He’ll return to earth, though we know neither the day nor hour.” The risen Christ will come from heaven to take His own to heaven.

Reflection 3 – I will raise you up at the last day

Why did Jesus call himself the bread of life? The Jews understood that God promised them manna from heaven to sustain them on their journey to the promised land. Bread is the very staple of life. We could not live without food for very long. Bread sustains us. But what is life? Jesus clearly meant something more than mere physical existence. The life Jesus refers to is connected with God, the author of life. Real life is a relationship with the living God, a relationship of trust, love, obedience, peace, and joy. This is what Jesus makes possible for us – a loving relationship with God who created us for love with him. Apart from Jesus no one can enter that kind of life and relationship. Are you satisfied with mere physical existence or do you hunger for the abundant life which Jesus offers?

Jesus makes three claims here. First he offers himself as spiritual food which produces the very life of God within us. Second, he promises unbroken friendship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from God. Third, he offers us the hope of sharing in his resurrection. Jesus rose physically never to die again. Those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be bodily raised up to immortal life with Jesus when he comes again on the last day. Do you know the joy and hope of the resurrection?

“Lord Jesus Christ, your death brought life and hope where there was once only despair and defeat. Give me the unshakable hope of everlasting life, the inexpressible joy of knowing your unfailing love, and the unwavering faith and obedience in doing the will of our Father in heaven.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/may8.htm

Reflection 4 – How to increase your joy

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Reflection 6 – St. Peter of Tarentaise (c. 1102-1174 A.D.)

There are two men named St. Peter of Tarentaise who lived one century apart. The man we honor today is the younger Peter, born in France in the early part of the 12th century. (The other man with the same name became Pope Innocent the Fifth.)

The Peter we’re focusing on became a Cistercian monk and eventually served as abbot. In 1142, he was named archbishop of Tarentaise, replacing a bishop who had been deposed because of corruption. Peter tackled his new assignment with vigor. He brought reform into his diocese, replaced lax clergy and reached out to the poor. He visited all parts of his mountainous diocese on a regular basis.

After about a decade as bishop Peter “disappeared” for a year and lived quietly as a lay brother at an abbey in Switzerland. When he was “found out,” the reluctant bishop was persuaded to return to his post. He again focused many of his energies on the poor.

Peter died in 1175 on his way home from an unsuccessful papal assignment to reconcile the kings of France and England.

Read the source:  http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1905

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