John 6:35-40

Acts 8:1b-8

Psalm 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a

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."

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I have seen your wondrous deeds and praise you for all of your works. Your work of creation is awesome in its beauty and majesty. Your work of redemption fills me with humble gratitude for the sacrifice of your Son. You work now to sanctify me and bring me to eternal communion with you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Father’s Will: In the Gospel of John, two themes parallel some of the themes of the First Reading: fulfilling the will of the Father and coming to faith in Jesus Christ. First, God willed that the Gospel message be proclaimed in the whole world and to all nations. This comes to pass and God is able to bring good out of evil: the persecution of the first Christians begins to scatter them outside of Jerusalem and they become missionaries of the Gospel. Second, the will of the Father is that everyone comes to believe in the Son. The signs that Philip accomplishes and his preaching about Jesus as the Christ are invitations to faith in the one the Father sent. By believing in the Son and partaking of his Body and Blood, we receive eternal life. Death is not the final word because we will be raised with Christ to life on the last day and be welcomed into the promised land of heaven.

2. The Aftermath of Stephen’s Martyrdom: Stephen’s martyrdom was followed by the persecution of the Hellenistic Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Some of Jesus’ disciples, not the Apostles, had to flee Jerusalem and were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Saul of Tarsus is mentioned as one of the early persecutors who tried to destroy the Church. Saul “was highly effective in this endeavor and sought not only to imprison the disciples but also to put them to death. By his own testimony, his goal was no less than to destroy the Church (cf. Gal. 1:13)” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, p. 85). God, however, is able to bring about good from evil and used this persecution to spread the Word of God and expand the Church. This is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to the Apostles that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, pp. 136-137).

3. The Preaching of Philip the Deacon: While the Apostles remained in Jerusalem during the persecution, one of the seven Hellenist deacons, Philip, was forced to flee and took the word of God to the region of Samaria and proclaimed the Gospel that Jesus is the royal Messiah. Philip worked great signs: he cast out demons and healed the paralyzed and crippled. Signs like these were done by Jesus to bring the people to faith in him as the Messiah. In like manner, his disciples accomplished similar works and sought to bring the people to encounter Jesus. The preaching of the Good News by Philip and the miracles he worked filled the people with great joy. Today’s psalm sings God’s praises on account of his deeds and works. The Psalmist invites all nations to see the great works of God and to worship God and sing praise to his name. The great historical deed mentioned by the Psalmist is the crossing of the Red Sea and the crossing of the Jordan River by the people of Israel. God freed his people from slavery and brought them into the promised land. The great deed proclaimed by the Gospel is Jesus’ victory over death and the slavery of sin. Through our baptism, our spiritual crossing of the Red Sea, we share in Jesus’ victory and are set on the path that leads to heaven.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I believe in you and, like you, will seek to fulfill the will of your Father. Enlighten my mind and heart to know the Father’s will and fill me with your grace and the Holy Spirit to carry out his holy will.

Living the Word of God: Do I see how God has brought good from evil in my life? What have I learned from my failings and sins? Has this experience brought me to a greater humility and trust in God’s mercy?