Sunday Reflection
8 August 2021,  Nineteenth Sunday of the Year
1 Kgs. 19-4-8; Eph. 4:30 – 5:2; Jn. 6:41-51

Jesus in today’s Gospel proclaims himself  the bread of life. As we know, bread is our staple food. Through  bread one gets life. It is difficult to do without bread in our life. Beside talking about bread, in the Gospel Jesus also talked about living water. Like  bread, water also is an important source of life. Jesus always wants us to realize that God is life. God is love. And from that love, all life begins.

Each of us who has been baptised believes this teaching. And because of this, we proudly call ourselves Christians, people who follow Jesus Christ. Jesus said, all of this is not because of our effort. But because God showed himself to us in the first place. His Holy Spirit guided each of us to know him. And that is how we are able to have an experince about God, about love, about life. “No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, ...” because of this through baptism now we are treading the same footpath of Jesus. All of us actively share  in  God’s salvation plan. Each of us share the same mission with Jesus, through our faith we become the bread of life for others.

Every time we attend the Eucharist, what Jesus said and did becomes clear for us. We see what the priest does to the Holy Host. He said to bless it, to break it up, and to give it to the people. And that simple act shows us exactly what we are now to do. Through baptism, we have been set aside for God. Through our daily life we break ourselves up for others. And that is not a temptation or punishment. That is the way how each of us becomes the sign of God