This Week in the Liturgical Year

First Reading
1 Kings 19:4-8
The Lord feeds Elijah, strengthening him for his journey to Horeb.

Psalm
Psalm 34:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9
A prayer of praise to God for his goodness

Second Reading
Ephesians 4:30—5:2
The Ephesians are encouraged to be imitators of Christ.

Gospel
John 6:41-51
Jesus responds to the murmurs of the crowd, who wonders what he means when he says that he came down from heaven.

Background on the Gospel
On this Sunday, we continue to read from the “Bread of Life discourse” found in the sixth chapter of John's Gospel. Recall that we have been reading from this chapter for the past two weeks and will continue to read from it for another two. Last week, the crowd asked for a sign that would show that Jesus came from God. Jesus replied by saying that he is the sign and the bread of life sent by God. At this point, our Lectionary omits six verses in which Jesus predicts the unbelief of the crowd and further develops his connection with God the Father. In these verses, Jesus says that he was sent by God to do the Father's will. Jesus promises that those who look upon the Son with faith will find eternal life. Some of these themes are repeated in today's Gospel reading.

Today's Gospel begins with a report that the Jews complained about Jesus' claims regarding his identity. They knew his family, and they knew he was the son of Joseph. They could not comprehend what Jesus meant when he said that he came down from heaven. Jesus responds to the complaints by saying that only those who are chosen by God will recognize him as the one that God sent. This is a recurring theme in John's Gospel, that God has chosen those who will have faith in Jesus.

In the verses that follow, Jesus talks more about his unity with the Father. He is the one who has seen the Father and, therefore, knows the Father. Those who listen to God will recognize that Jesus is the one sent from God. Those who believe will have eternal life. Jesus concludes with the central element of our eucharistic theology. He promises that the bread of life will bring eternal life to those who partake of it, and he tells us that the bread of life will be his own flesh, given for the life of the world.

In today's reading, we hear Jesus say again, as he did in last week's Gospel, that he is the bread of life. We also hear Jesus add that he is the living bread. Both of these statements help us understand better the gift that Jesus gives us in the Eucharist. We celebrate this gift of Jesus each time we gather for Mass. We believe that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist will lead us to eternal life.
 

Family Connection
Today's Gospel focuses our attention on our faith in Jesus' presence in the Eucharist. Jesus is the bread of life. He gives us his Body and Blood as bread so that we may have eternal life. When we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, our lives begin to reflect the reality that our communion with Jesus prepares in us. Our Eucharist leads us to live as people of the promise, confident that we will one day share the fullness of life with God.

As you gather as a family, talk about our hope that one day we will share eternal life with God in heaven. This hope can transform the way we live our daily lives, calling us to be people of hope and expectation. In today's Gospel, Jesus promises us this gift of eternal life in the Eucharist. Read together today's Gospel, John 6:41-51. Observe that Jesus taught us that those who listen to God know that Jesus has been sent by God for the life of the world. Jesus fulfills this promise to us through his passion, death, and Resurrection. He gives us the gift of himself in the Eucharist, which is his Body and Blood, given so that we may have eternal life. Conclude in prayer together asking God to increase our faith in Jesus' presence in the Eucharist. Pray together the Act of Faith.