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What preconditions are you setting before meeting Jesus?

 

 

Reading: So, they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? John 6:30.

 

Good morning, happy Tuesday, and many blessings.

 

In today’s Gospel (John 6:30-35) the crowd, who have witnessed the multiplication of loaves and fishes, ask for a sign as if the multiplication was nothing much. Jesus puts his Father above Moses and by implication his word (teaching) above that of Moses. The crowd interprets the whole discussion in material terms and so misinterprets what he says.

 

The people were sure about what they wanted, clear about how God had worked in the past; they had a template and they wanted to see whether Jesus fitted it. We sometimes approach Jesus in the same way, asking for what we need, expecting a particular answer. Jesus wants to open our hearts to receive what God is offering; we need to open our eyes to recognize it.

 

Notice how some of the Jews have conditions for Jesus to fulfill before they will accept Him – for example that He would produce spectacular miracles like Moses did. It prevents them from seeing and experiencing that God is revealing Godself directly and immediately in the person of Jesus.

 

If we accept Jesus and allow ourselves to grow in love of Him, we will find that He is the "bread of life" for which we hunger. What is preventing you from seeing and experiencing Jesus as the bread of life? What preconditions are you laying down before you encounter Him?

 

The word ‘bread’ comes up six times in this short passage! What does bread mean for me? I love freshly baked bread, its taste, texture and smell. When I am not well, I like white toasted bread, but when I’m well, I love brown. There are innumerable types of bread to satisfy different tastes and needs. What sort of bread is Jesus for me?

 

Help us, Lord, when we are limited by our past. When we know how we have been blessed, help us to stay before you in trust, aware of how little we deserve but ready to receive your grace in new ways.

 

Many people today are searching for God. They need signs to know where God is. Am I such a sign in any way?  When Jesus explains the Scriptures, he opens up a new horizon to us. We need not look in the sky for signs: Jesus himself is the sign we need, and he is close. He feeds me with his own life. Do I nourish others?

 

All we need for happiness and fulfilment is in the teaching and the love of God. The bread from heaven is the word of God and the Eucharist. With the food of this teaching, nothing else is needed for living in the truth. Prayer can be a time of being grateful to God for this word of life, and for this bread which means that God is never far away from us. The word and the bread nourish us all the days of life.

 

Blessings,

 

Fr. Luis+

Date news: 
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 - 08:15

Ministry at the time of Coronavirus (Covid 19): Prevent, cure and accompany

Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.

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