If you really knew me you would know that I rarely get sick, but when I do get sick it is pretty intense. I’m convinced God needed me to rest this week and so I’ve come down with this nasty virus that makes me lie down in the green pasture of my bed. Someone asked me the other day if I really only need four hours of sleep because I get up so early to write, and the answer is no, I absolutely need more than four hours of sleep. Well God heard that cry and so here I am on day three of having to rest because I cannot go to work sick. Of course I wanted to fill my “rest” with “doing” such as getting to that book that I’ve been meaning to read, cleaning out my closet, organizing my photos on my computer, etc. No big deal, right. Why do I feel guilty when lying on my couch is all I can manage to do? Why do I feel the need to be productive at all times? Why can’t I simply rest? I’m pretty sure we all suffer from this need to “do” constantly as our culture really preaches productivity as a benchmark for success. Today’s gospel gives me reason to pause just a bit. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.” I have been in a season of God drawing me so fervently and it has been steeped in amazing grace, tremendous growth, and lots of inner work. Just like in school, breaks are needed for teachers and students to replenish mind, body, and soul, I am being called to rest and replenish so that I can continue to be drawn in by the Father. “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.” God speaks in whispers and in silence and so we need to be still to listen. Perhaps I’ve been really busy “doing” lately, really busy applying all that I’ve learned into daily life, really busy striving to be the best version of myself, and really busy trying to live a certain way. The Father draws me in close so that He can whisper sweet nothings in my ear, and perhaps there was too much noise, too much going on, to much activity for me to really hear those whispers.
So, I’ve been leaning in these past three days and what He says is that Jesus is my love song to you, Jesus is my bouquet of flowers sent to woo you, Jesus is my letter that arrives in the mail on a day that you feel unlovable, Jesus is my hug on a really bad day, Jesus is my fragrance meant to sooth you, Jesus is my warmth meant to wrap around you, Jesus is my serenade meant to soften you, Jesus is my gentle breeze meant to refresh you, Jesus is my essence meant to fortify you, Jesus is my breath meant to give you life, Jesus is my wonder meant to inspire you, Jesus is my joy meant to tickle you, Jesus is my love meant to pour over you, and Jesus is my rest meant to lie down with you. It’s amazing what you can hear when you are still. What does any of this have to do with Jesus as the Bread of Life in today’s gospel? A fortified life is what Jesus offers us when we receive and consume him as living bread from the Father. He is the way that the Father draws us, and so a relationship with Jesus is the Life. We have the unique and beautiful blessing to be able to actually receive Jesus into our being through the gift of the Eucharist. He wants us so badly that he chose to become a part of us, but we must open our hands to receive him, open our hearts to let him in, and open our minds to consume him. Today, the Bread of Life offers you wholehearted union. Let the Father draw you in so you can listen and receive His love song. It is well with my soul.
Reading 1 ACTS 8:26-40
The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,
"Get up and head south on the road
that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route."
So he got up and set out.
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,
a court official of the Candace,
that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,
in charge of her entire treasury,
who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.
Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
The Spirit said to Philip,
"Go and join up with that chariot."
Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,
"Do you understand what you are reading?"
He replied,
"How can I, unless someone instructs me?"
So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
This was the Scripture passage he was reading:
Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will tell of his posterity?
For his life is taken from the earth.
Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,
"I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this?
About himself, or about someone else?"
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage,
he proclaimed Jesus to him.
As they traveled along the road
they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water.
What is to prevent my being baptized?"
Then he ordered the chariot to stop,
and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,
and he baptized him.
When they came out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away,
and the eunuch saw him no more,
but continued on his way rejoicing.
Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news
to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
"Get up and head south on the road
that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route."
So he got up and set out.
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,
a court official of the Candace,
that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,
in charge of her entire treasury,
who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.
Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
The Spirit said to Philip,
"Go and join up with that chariot."
Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,
"Do you understand what you are reading?"
He replied,
"How can I, unless someone instructs me?"
So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
This was the Scripture passage he was reading:
Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will tell of his posterity?
For his life is taken from the earth.
Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,
"I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this?
About himself, or about someone else?"
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage,
he proclaimed Jesus to him.
As they traveled along the road
they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water.
What is to prevent my being baptized?"
Then he ordered the chariot to stop,
and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,
and he baptized him.
When they came out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away,
and the eunuch saw him no more,
but continued on his way rejoicing.
Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news
to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Responsorial Psalm PS 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
R.(1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia JN 6:51
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel JN 6:44-51
Jesus said to the crowds:
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
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."
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
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."
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