Reflection for May 8 Thursday of the Third Week of Easter: John 6:44-51

Gospel: John 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.”

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Reflection:

How can you have eternal life? 

You have to regularly receive the Body of Christ at Holy Mass. Always receive it with reverence and piety—never doubt, and don’t think of it as simple bread, because what you receive is Jesus Himself. 

Imagine the light that will shine in your soul, the unfathomable blessings that will flow into your life, if you make it a habit to partake in this sacred mystery with faith. Think of the countless graces waiting to be poured into your heart if you firmly believe that Jesus is the Consecrated Host you receive during Holy Communion.

Your faith in the Bread of Life will open your heart and mind to the many truths about Jesus and the Church He founded through Peter. These are truths that the mind may struggle to explain but the heart deeply understands—truths revealed through prayer, belief and faith.

For without prayer, belief and faith, you will not fully comprehend how this small and ordinary bread becomes the Body of Jesus after it is consecrated by the priest—how this ordinary bread becomes your life and your reason for existing in this world. – Marino J. Dasmarinas