Gospel: May 7, 2025
May 7, 2025 (Wednesday)
3rd Week of Easter
Psalter: Week 3 / (White)
Ps 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
1st Reading: Acts 8:1b-8
All, except the apostles, were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church. He entered house after house and dragged off men and women, and had them put in jail. At the same time, those who were scattered went about, preaching the word. Philip went down to a town of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. All the people paid close attention to what Philip said as they listened to him, and saw the miraculous signs that he did. For, in cases of possession, the unclean spirits came out shrieking loudly. Many people, who were paralyzed or crippled, were healed. So there was great joy in that town.
Gospel: John 6:35-40
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. Nevertheless, as I said, you refuse to believe, even when you have seen. Yet all those whom the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I shall not turn away. For I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the One who sent me. And the will of him who sent me is that I lose nothing of what he has given me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day. This is the will of the Father, that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall live eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Reflection:
“I am the bread of life.”
For me, among all the experiences of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the most moving was standing by the remains of the synagogue at Capernaum. While in other places it is hard to see where Jesus would have stood and preached, here one can see the black basalt stones of the synagogue floor, the site where the unclean spirit recognized Jesus as the Holy One of God (Mk 1:24), and where Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” The words rang in my ears. “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty.” Come to Jesus; believe in Jesus, and live. He calls us to come to him, but, like Peter, we might feel unworthy to approach the Lord (Lk5:8). But Jesus reassures us, “Whoever comes to me, I shall not turn away.” We are not to be afraid but run to him who is our strength and our life. Those, like Saul, who cannot see Jesus as Savior run away from him and try every means to stop others from joining him. Yet, in the end, God’s will cannot be thwarted.
