Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 6, 35-40
Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”
Go towards Life
1. Trust. When you embark on this journey of getting to know Jesus, you also set out on a path of self-discovery. This path demands trust, courage, and tolerance of pain. Trust because this new life with God is an adventure, and if God truly enters your life and you let him in, He will bring light into your darkness. Trust in God because there might come a time when you may even become disillusioned with yourself.
2. Courage. You need courage because it is an unknown path, and it implies faith. Of course, at the beginning we are happy and enthusiastic, but then, over time we start to lose our motivation and interest for the things of God. We stop feeling the attraction, the need for attending mass, listening to his Word, praying the Rosary… And fear also appears. But we mustn’t stop praying for courage. Remember that the brave person is the one who does things even feeling fear.
3. Tolerance of pain. In the process of self-discovery there are also painful moments, where you must be prepared to see and face your limits and weaknesses, but “you cannot redeem what you do not assume”. If you do not have tolerance to bear the pain of what the process of self-discovery implies, you will not do it. Remember St. Augustine’s “Lord that I may know you, Lord that I may know myself”; the more I know God, the more I know myself. Christian life is a process and when you meet Christ there is a real change in you and a different path to follow. You realize that what you thought was all right in your life is not so; and you begin to see things that you did not notice before. This takes time because it’s a true process of encounter with Christ. Otherwise, we would fall into religious fanaticism and that’s not good. But of course, when you get to know God’s love and everything that changes your life, you want to share that love with your family or friends; but remember you can invite them to have the experience you had, but you can’t transfer the experience. The Eucharist does that, it lights that fire of God in your heart. But it’s a process that’s not easy. It’s difficult, but it’s worth it.
Remember something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
