A Word from Your Pastor August 5

The Sunday Gospels we will be hearing for several weeks come from the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, the passage known as the Bread of Life discourse.  Jesus speaks to the crowd that has witnessed the feeding of the multitude about the Mystery of the Eucharist.  This is a good time for all of us to examine our own response to this central reality of our Catholic Faith.  How do we allow the Word of God to shape our understanding of the Gift that Jesus gives to us through the Eucharist?

Jesus advises: “Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures for Eternal Life which the Son of Man will give you.”

So much of our time is spent on things that do not last.  Jesus, the Eternal Son of God, offers us Something that will last forever.  The Sacramental Gift of Himself to us in the Eucharist is the Food that endures for Eternal Life.  In Baptism, we are made children of God.  Baptism opens for us the door to Eternal Life and makes available the Sacramental grace that enables us to begin that Life now.  Confirmation gives us the Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit that brings the Gifts of the Spirit and strengthens us in Faith.  Eucharist is the repeatable Sacrament of Initiation through which we renew our commitment to our Life in Christ.  We are fed and nourished by Jesus Himself, the Risen Lord, the Good Shepherd Who leads us into Life Eternal.

God’s work is that we have Faith.  Our work is to put our Faith into practice.  How can we do this in light of the Gift of the Bread of Life?  We can join in the prayer “Give us this Bread always.”  Jesus will satisfy our hunger and our thirst, but we have to open our hearts and lives to Him.

Faith is expressed through living with the Mystery.  Attendance at Mass as often as possible is one way – not just the minimum of all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, but other days as well.  Mass is offered every day of the week.  Why not add one day “extra” by your own free choice?  Daily Mass is a great gift.  To receive the Bread of Life every day offers something very special to the life of Faith.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place every Wednesday from the morning Mass until 6:30 p.m. at St. Timothy Church.  Other parishes near and far have times all through the day and even through the night.  Find a time in your schedule that you could spend with the Lord and give Him the chance to speak to your heart.  Cultivate hunger for the Eucharist by sitting in His Presence.  You won’t regret it.

How will you respond to the Eucharistic Lord?