THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF EASTER - Jn 6:44-51 - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

"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" (Jn 6:51)

READING OF THE DAY

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

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.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John

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."

THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF EASTER - Jn 6:44-51

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

Jesus told the people: "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."

God is the Creator of humans. He created man out of His love. He placed human as the highest creature of all creatures. This is because human was created in the image of God, and He saw that it was good. He does not abandon any of the creatures He has created. When humans are born into the world, God engraves His words into each person's heart, which are the "Ten Commandments of God".

If those who believe and live according to God's teachings also believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth to become a human being. They believe that the words that Jesus spoke to all humanity are words that come from God the Father.

God the Father calls everyone to come to Him. He does not exclude anyone. But He always gives people freedom: it is up to each person's conscience to choose whether to follow God or the world.

He does not force anyone to believe in God the Father and believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But in the freedom that God gives to humanity, there is always His love. He always keeps an eye on people's footsteps.

Since humans committed their original sin, their hearts have always been inclined toward evil. Therefore, He sent His only Son to earth, to die to atone for humans' sins and to bring eternal life to humans. To receive eternal life, everyone should believe in what Jesus Christ said: "'The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.'" That is the bread of life that came down from heaven, the very body of Jesus Christ, and He promised: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life."

Those words were fulfilled exactly as God promised to humans. So those who want eternal life should listen and practice what God teaches.

Thanks be to God. Amen.