(Sunday)

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 78: 3-4, 23-24, 25, 54 (24b)

The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

1st Reading: Exodus 16: 2-4, 12-15

2nd Reading: Ephesians 4: 17-20, 24

Gospel: John 6: 24-35

When they saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Master, when did you come here?”

Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, you look for me, not because you have seen through the signs, but because you ate bread and were satisfied. Work then, not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give it to you, for he is the one the Father has marked.”

Then the Jews asked him, “What shall we do? What are the works that God wants us to do?” And Jesus answered them, “The work God wants is this: that you believe in the One whom God has sent.”

They then said, “Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe you. What sign do you perform? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says: They were given bread from heaven to eat.”

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Jesus then said to them, “Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread God gives is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.” And they said to him, “Give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty.

Lectio Divina

Read: The people looked for Jesus. They found him at the other side of the lake. Jesus told them that he knew the reason why they were looking for him. It was not because they saw the signs when Jesus fed the multitude but because they ate and were satisfied. Jesus exhorted them to work for lasting food and not for perishable food. The Son of Man would give them such food. The Jews asked Jesus what they should do. Jesus told them that they should believe in the one whom God sent. The Jews asked for miracles citing the manna in the desert. Jesus explained to them that it was his Father who gave them the true bread from heaven. Jesus told them that he is the bread of life.Reflect: Jesus is the true bread that came down from heaven. He is the gift of God the Father to the world. We are called to grow in our relationship with Jesus because he is the one who can truly nourish us, making us grow into the spiritually mature people God wants us to be. A spiritually mature person knows how to distinguish truth from falsity, knows how to discern well. A spiritually mature person discerns well a true life-giving relationship from one that is merely satisfying. We have to choose what is truly life-giving.

Pray: Let us pray for the gift of discernment.

Act: Let us exercise discernment today, doing a concrete life-giving act for a family member.