“Growing in the Love for the Holy Eucharist and deepening our faith and conviction in Him!”

(Based on Acts 9:1-20 and Jn 6:52-59 – Friday of the 3rd Week in Easter)

In the early 1970s, during the Vietnam War, Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan was the Archbishop of Saigon.

The Communists saw him as a threat.

On the Feast of the Assumption – 1975 – he was arrested and shipped off to a prison in North Vietnam.

He stayed there for thirteen years, nine of them in solitary confinement.

During his imprisonment, he couldn’t celebrate Mass or receive the Eucharist.

However, the Archbishop was allowed one luxury: to write letters to friends outside prison.

When he did, he often asked them to send him what he called “his medicine.”

They knew what he meant.

They sent him cough medicine bottles…
… filled with wine and small bits of bread.

Sympathetic guards smuggled him some wood and wire, and from that he made a small cross, which he hid in a bar of soap.

He kept all this in a cardboard box.

That box became his own private altar.

Every day, at 3:00 p.m. – the hour of Christ’s death – he would place drops of wine in the palm of his hand, mingled with water, to celebrate Mass.

The greatest ongoing miracle in history was able to take place.

That cramped prison cell became as beautiful and as blessed as any cathedral…
… a sanctuary for the glory of God.

He did this for thirteen years…
… till he was finally freed in 1988.

This is a man who understood – with every fibre of his being – how precious Holy Communion is.

What about us?

How deep is my understanding, faith and love for the Most Holy Eucharist?

The Holy Eucharist – the Body and Blood of Jesus – is the greatest treasure that the Church offers to Her children…

Yet, the Holy Eucharist sometimes, also becomes the great barrier for people to misunderstand and misinterpret the Church.

The same was true even in the time of Jesus.

The mention of His Body and Blood caused great division, misunderstanding and led to the misinterpretation of Jesus.

The Gospel of the Day is an account of the Lord declaring the necessity of being partakers of His Body and Blood to be having a share in eternal life.

Jesus continues His discourse on He being the “Bread of Life”.

The Lord surprises His hearers by saying that He is “the bread that came down from heaven” (Jn 6:51a)

He shocks them even further by saying that “the bread that I give is my flesh for the world” (Jn 6:51b)

This caused a dispute among the people, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:52)

The bold declaration of the Lord that He would give His Flesh and His Blood as food and drink…
… caused a huge scandal among His listeners and it cause deep divisions and disputes.

The same is so much true in our own world, when the Church declares the Holy Eucharist to be the True and Real Body and Blood of the Lord, there is so much dispute and division caused.

Not many are able to accept this understanding
Not many are convinced of this teaching
Not many even believe this to be true

The Catechism of the Church declares that “the mode of Christ’s presence under the Eucharistic species is unique”

“In the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.” (CCC #1374-1375)

Questions now arise before us…

How is my belief and understanding of this most Precious and Treasured Gift of the Holy Eucharist – “the source and summit of Christian Life”?

Do I believe with conviction that Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Eucharist?
Do I celebrate and participate in the Holy Mass with this Divine Fervour?

What is the effect that this Sacrament of Total Self-giving on me?

Does the reception of Jesus, the Love Incarnate, make me in turn to be more loving towards others and do I make deliberate choices to extend love to all?
Does the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist impel me also to make sacrifices – even tiny, insignificant, unnoticed – for the cause and good of others?

How is my contribution to spread the Good News of the Holy Eucharist to others?
… Am I being a person who radiates the love of the Eucharist to others, by my conscious efforts to be respectful, reverent and devoted in the Chapel or Church and also become aware of the Lord’s Presence, when passing by Churches or handling Sacred objects?
… Do I tell to other people about this exciting, real presence of God in the Holy Eucharist, to other people, especially the sick, the suffering and those in distress, that they may experience the Real and True healing presence of the Lord?

Let us understand that in the Most Holy Eucharist – the greatest ongoing miracle in history – takes place.

It is this miracle that turns even a cramped prison cell to become as beautiful and as blessed as any cathedral…
… a sanctuary for the glory of God.

Let us grow in the Love for the Holy Eucharist and deepen our faith and conviction in Him.

May Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist always be praised…
… and may our Blessed Mother Mary, the Mother of the Eucharist, intercede for us!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES PRESENT THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST

Christian liturgy not only recalls the events that saved us but actualizes them, makes them present.
The Paschal mystery of Christ is celebrated, not repeated.
It is the celebrations that are repeated, and in each celebration there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that makes the unique mystery present.
The Epiclesis (“invocation upon”) is the intercession in which the priest begs the Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, so that the offerings may become the Body and Blood of Christ…

… and that the faithful by receiving them, may themselves become a living offering to God. (CCC #1104-1105)

(MAY we WITH MAMMA MARY live in holiness)

MAY 0️⃣5️⃣ – Mary, Mother of Hope

💭 To Reflect
Mary was full of hope, even though she went through many hard, dark and painful moments in life.

✅ To Practise
Hope in God, even in tough moments!

🙏🏻To Pray
Mamma Mary, intercede for me, that I may fully hope in the promises of the Lord, even while going through the storms of life, Amen!

“Growing in our love for Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist – the Bread of Life!”

(Based on Acts 8:26-40 and Jn 6:44-51 – Thursday of the 3rd Week in Easter)

Saint Mother Teresa was known for her immense devotion to the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.

She found her strength for her services of mercy, by being united and spending time with the Eucharistic Lord…
… everyday!

She has spoken very beautifully about the Holy Eucharist:

She says: “When Jesus came into the world, he loved it so much that he gave His Life for it.

He wanted to satisfy our hunger for God.

And what did He do?

He made himself the ‘Bread of Life.’

He became small, fragile and defenseless for us.

Bits of bread can be so small that…
… even a small child can chew it!
… even a dying person can eat it!”

Have we discovered our Love for this “Precious Bread of Life?”

The Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of St John can be called as “the great discourse on the Bread of Life”

Jesus declares Himself as the “Bread of Life” (Jn 6:35), Who came down from heaven.

On hearing this statement of the Lord, the Jews “murmured” about Him (Jn 6:41)

They knew that Jesus was only the son of Joseph.
They knew the father and mother of Jesus.
They were very familiar with His human origins

Therefore, the statement of Jesus that “He was the bread, Who came down from heaven” caused a great deal of “murmur”.

The Greek word that is used here for murmur is a word, “gogguzo”…

This “gogguzo” means…
… any low, continuous sound as of a brook, the wind, trees etc or low indistinct voices
… a mumbled or private expression of discontent
… to show “smouldering discontent”, droning on in a low, constant murmur

A similar “gogguzo” was also expressed by the Israelites, in their long journey in the desert.

When Moses led the large multitude of the Israelites through the desert, the impatient crowd, raised their voices in complaint against Moses and Aaron, “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread” (Ex 16:3)

The Israelites also “murmured!”

In response to this “murmuring” of the people, God Yahweh provided them with the “flesh of the quail” and the “bread of the Manna” (Ex 16: 4-15)

In the Gospel, when the Jews “murmured”, Jesus provides them with a reply of the “flesh of His body” and the “bread of His Life”

Jesus tells – as we see in today’s Gospel also – “Stop murmuring among yourselves… I am the Bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.” (Jn 6: 43, 48-50)

The Israelites were given perishable flesh of the quails and they who ate the Manna, died.

But Jesus, now gives His imperishable flesh of His Own Body and offers the Eternal Manna as the Bread of our life!

It is in the Holy Eucharist, that the Lord offers this imperishable food and salvation to each of us.

What is our perception and passion towards this True Life that Jesus offers in the Holy Eucharist?

The Israelites in the Old Testament as well as the Jews in Jesus’ time, “murmured”…

Do I also “murmur” and remain indifferent to believing in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist?

Do I also “murmur” and fail to prepare myself well to receive Jesus, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?

Do I also “murmur” and become unmindful or even disrespectful to the Presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, in the Chapels and in the Churches?

May this lengthened meditation on John 6 – the “the great discourse on the Bread of Life” – help us to deepen our faith and zeal for Jesus, in the Most Holy Eucharist.

It is this devotion and union with the Lord, alone, that can make us also, in turn, a Eucharistic people – breaking and giving ourselves – for the welfare and salvation of the world!

In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Philip…
… inspired by an Angel of the Lord reaches out to a royal official – an Ethiopian eunach – and delivers the Word of God and the Salvific Message of the Risen Lord.

When we have a deep passion for the Lord in our hearts, we too will reach out the Message of God’s Love and Mercy to the world around us.

Let the words of St Francis de Sales inspire us:
“When the bee has gathered the dew of heaven and the earth’s sweetest nectar from the flowers, it turns it into honey, then hastens to its hive.

In the same way, the priest, having taken from the Altar, the Son of God (who is as the dew from heaven, and true son of Mary, flower of our humanity)…
… gives Him to you as Delicious Food!”

Let us seek to satisfy our hunger for God…
… by growing in our love for Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist – the Bread of Life!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE HOLY SPIRIT RECALLS THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST – ANAMNESIS.

The liturgical celebration always refers to God’s saving interventions in history.
“The economy of Revelation is realized by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other.
The words for their part proclaim the works and bring to light the mystery they contain.”
In the Liturgy of the Word the Holy Spirit “recalls” to the assembly all that Christ has done for us.
In keeping with the nature of liturgical actions and the ritual traditions of the churches, the celebration “makes a remembrance” of the marvellous works of God in an anamnesis which may be more or less developed.

The Holy Spirit who thus awakens the memory of the Church then inspires thanksgiving and praise (doxology). (CCC #1103)

(MAY we WITH MAMMA MARY live in holiness)

MAY 0️⃣4️⃣ – Mary, Mother of the Church

💭 To Reflect
Mary at the foot of the Cross with the Beloved Disciple, and in the Upper Room with the other disciples, unites us, as the Church, to Jesus.

✅ To Practise
Deepen our love for the Church; deepen our understanding of the Church Teachings.

🙏🏻To Pray
Mamma Mary, intercede for me, that I may commit myself totally to the Church, the Bride of Christ, Amen!

“Allowing Jesus, the Bread of Life, to always be the source, strength and summit of our Christian living!”
(Based on Acts 8:1-8 and Jn 6:35-40 – Wednesday of the 3rd Week in Easter)

One of the simplest moral stories that all of us have heard is that of the thirsty crow.

One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over, looking for water.

For a long time, he could not find any.
He felt weak, and lost all hope.

Suddenly, he saw a water jug below the tree. He flew straight down, and was delighted to see some water inside it!

Sadly, he found that the neck of the jug was too narrow and it was impossible for him to access the water.

He tried to push the jug to tilt, for the water to flow out but the jug was too heavy.

The crow thought hard for a while.

Then looking around it, he saw some pebbles and an idea struck him.

He started picking up the pebbles one by one, dropping each into the jug.

As more and more pebbles filled the jug, the water level kept rising.

Soon it was high enough for the crow to drink.

His plan had worked…
His thirst had been quenched!

The moral of this story is to “Think and work hard, you may find solution to any problem.”

But when we consider this story from another perspective, we notice that it also shows the deep craving inside every creature, to satisfy one’s thirst.

One is restless till this thirst is fulfilled…
One is impatient till this craving is satisfied…

This agitated thirst is also innate in every human being…
… a thirst for the Divine, for the Transcendental.

And this thirst, compels humans…
… to search… to seek…
… for the source of satisfaction
… for the fountain of fulfilment

But how wonderful it would be to be knowing and to be convinced that this “thirst” can find its fulfilment only in God.

And how wonderful it would be, if all human beings could be properly guided and correctly directed on this path of finding true contentment.

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus promising this fulfilment and contentment to all those who come to Him and believe in Him – the Bread of Life.

Jesus declares, “I am the Bread of Life; He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst” (Jn 6: 35)

The crowds who had been fed by Jesus, by the miracle of the multiplication of loaves, came in search of Jesus… probably expecting more…

They wanted still more… and they express this to Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always” (Jn 6:34)

In John Chapter 4, we read the story of the Samaritan woman, by the well of Jacob, who had also expressed a similar desire.

She said to Jesus “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water” (Jn 4: 15)

This desire to receive bread or water, so that one may not hunger again or be thirsty again, is the innate desire and longing within each human being…

Each of us, deep within, are thirsty and hungry…
… wanting to drink water and eat food that will quench the longing, forever.

It is this search that makes people to go out and seek the various sources of satisfaction.

Some feel to have found this fulfilment…
… through worldly pleasures and bad habits like smoking, drinking, obsession with sex, drugs etc, which only lead to momentary external satisfaction and short-lived bursts of thrill.

Some feel to have found this fulfilment…
… in the various philosophies, new-age patterns of life and naturalistic means of spirituality etc, which may have traces of truth, but fail to provide authentic and fullness of life.

The Book of the Acts of the Apostles records one such notable example of Saul.

Saul (who is also called Paul) failed to understand and grasp “The Truth” and persecuted all those who followed “The Way!”

“But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.” (Acts 8:3)

But Jesus, today, boldly and unambiguously declares that it’s only in HIM that true and complete fulfilment of life can be found: “He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst” (Jn 6: 35)

Are we convinced of this fact, that it’s only in Jesus, that I can achieve true and complete happiness…?

Like the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32), we may have strayed away from this path of truth, to seek our own means and ways to find happiness and satisfaction.

But the Lord, today, calls us back to Him…
… to His Heart
… to His Church
… to His Eucharist
… to experience Him fully.

To those who have strayed…
… the call of the Gospel, is to come back to the paths of truth

To those who are holding on to Him…
… the call of the Gospel, is to deepen the conviction, that in Him alone, can the hunger of my soul and the thirst of my heart be fulfilled.

To those who have strayed…
… the Lord invites to build the virtues of humility, docility and openness to the Spirit.

To those who are holding on to Him…
… the Lord invites to build the virtues of patience, firm trust and a passionate longing.

May Jesus, the Bread of Life, always be the source, strength and summit of our Christian living!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE HOLY SPIRIT RECALLS THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST

The Holy Spirit gives a spiritual understanding of the Word of God to those who read or hear it, according to the dispositions of their hearts.
By means of the words, actions, and symbols that form the structure of a celebration, the Spirit puts both the faithful and the ministers into a living relationship with Christ, the Word and Image of the Father, so that they can live out the meaning of what they hear, contemplate, and do in the celebration.
“By the saving word of God, faith… is nourished in the hearts of believers. By this faith then the congregation of the faithful begins and grows.”
The proclamation does not stop with a teaching; it elicits the response of faith as consent and commitment, directed at the covenant between God and his people.
Once again it is the Holy Spirit who gives the grace of faith, strengthens it and makes it grow in the community.

The liturgical assembly is first of all a communion in faith. (CCC #1101-1102)

(MAY we WITH MAMMA MARY live in holiness)

MAY 0️⃣3️⃣ – Mary, Mother of Mercy

💭 TO REFLECT
Mary herself experienced the Great Mercy of God, and invites us to become recipients of the ‘ocean of God’s unconditional Mercy!’

✅ TO PRACTISE
Recieve God’s Mercy, and become ambassadors of His Mercy

🙏🏻 TO PRAY
Mamma Mary, intercede for me, that I may always trust in God’s Mercy and reach out His compassion to all, Amen!

“Being inspired by St Philip and St James to be His True Apostles and thus live to a saintly life!”

(Based on the Feast of the Apostles – St Philip and St James)

A story is told of a lady who was very much zealous in telling about Jesus Christ to the world.

This lady was blind and illiterate…
… and yet found different ways to spread the Gospel.

One day, she went to a Missionary Priest and asked for a copy of the Bible in French.

When she got it, she asked the missionary to underline the Bible Verse – John 3:16 – in red, and mark the page, so that she could find it.

(Jn 3:16 = “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Son…that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Eternal Life!”)

The missionary wanted to see what she would do with this Bible that was marked with red…
… and so he followed her.

The lady went in the late afternoon to a school…
… and made her way to the entrance.

As the school children came out, she would stop one of them and ask if he knew how to read French.

If the boy would say “Yes” she would ask him to read the verse that was marked in red.

Then she would ask, “Do you know what this means?”…
… and then go on to tell him more about Jesus Christ and living a Life in the Lord!

The missionary priest would later testify that this lady led nearly a couple of dozen boys to become missionaries of the Lord!

As followers of Christ, each of us are bound to tell the world about the Precious Life of “Living in God!”
How well are we doing our Duty of Proclaiming God to the world?

Am I a Faithful Apostle?

Today Holy Mother the Church celebrates the Feast of two Apostles St Philip and St James…

They lived a faithful and courageous life as followers of Jesus…
… and made Jesus more known to the world by their faithful life!

The Apostle St Philip was a native of Bethsaida, on Lake Gennesaret.

He was among the first disciples of Jesus (Jn 1:43)

(a) At the miraculous feeding of the multitude, it was to Philip that Jesus asked, “Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?” to which Philip replied, “Two hundred denarii worth food will not be enough for them to have a little” (Jn 6:5)

(b) When through Greeks came to meet Jesus, it was Philip whom they met and it was he who reported to Andrew and they both went to Jesus (Jn 12: 21-22)

(c) It was Philip who told Jesus, in the Upper Room, “Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us” (Jn 14: 8)

The Apostle St James is called as the Younger or the Less, because he was the second of that name who was an apostle of Jesus – distinguishing him from James the Greater, the son of Zebedee

St James the Less was also called as James the Just and is sometimes also called as the “Brother of the Lord”

(a) He is the author of one of the Epistles in the New Testament
(b) He was also ordained as the Bishop of Jerusalem.

The Gospel of the Day (Jn 14: 6-14) presents Jesus declaring Himself as “The Way, the Truth and The Life” (Jn 14: 6)

These two Apostles, St Philip and St James by their life, gave a faithful witness to Jesus – “The Way, The Truth and The Life!”

We are called and challenged, by these Apostles to do the same as well…

Being ready to embrace Jesus as The Way…
… seeking to follow only His paths and doing His Will
… being bold to stand firm in the face of hardships, while walking on the Way

Being ready to embrace Jesus as The Truth…
… wanting to let go a life of dishonesty and hypocrisy in our actions of life
… determined in the conviction to live for Christ and His virtues in day-to-day life

Being ready to embrace Jesus as The Life…
… willing to utilize all our talents, gifts, resources in life for the glory of God and His Kingdom
… being brave to let go off anything which prevents us from living a life for the Lord

The Apostles St Philip and St James…
… were greatly purified in their following of the Lord, through various persecutions and hardships

And finally, gave their life in martyrdom to the Lord and His Kingdom!

When there is determination and passion for God, we look for ways and means, to preach about God and His Love to the world!

No blindness can prevent us from showing people “the vision of Divine Life”
No illiteracy can stop us from declaring to people “the Word of Life!”

Let us wait at the “entrances of people’s life” and…
… point the “the red and passionate Love of the Lord” to the world!

Wish you a Happy Feast of the Apostles – St Philip and St James!

Let us also seek and work to be His True Apostles and thus live to be a Saint!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE HOLY SPIRIT RECALLS THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST

The Spirit and the Church cooperate to manifest Christ and his work of salvation in the liturgy.
Primarily in the Eucharist, and by analogy in the other sacraments, the liturgy is the memorial of the mystery of salvation.
The Holy Spirit is the Church’s living memory.
The Holy Spirit first recalls the meaning of the salvation event to the liturgical assembly by giving life to the Word of God, which is proclaimed so that it may be received and lived: In the celebration of the liturgy, Sacred Scripture is extremely important.
From it come the lessons that are read and explained in the homily and the psalms that are sung.

It is from the Scriptures that the prayers, collects, and hymns draw their inspiration and their force, and that actions and signs derive their meaning (CCC #1099-1100)

(MAY we WITH MAMMA MARY live in holiness)

MAY 0️⃣2️⃣ – Mary, Mother of Divine Grace

💭 To Reflect
Mary allowed herself to be filled with the Grace of God, and cooperated fully, to fulfil God’s Plan of Salvation for the world.

✅ To Practise
Allow God’s Grace to work in one’s life

🙏🏻To Pray
Mamma Mary, intercede for me, that I may co-operate with the Grace of God, and fulfil His plans in my life, Amen!

(MAY we WITH MAMMA MARY live in holiness)

MAY 0️⃣1️⃣ – Mary, Mother of God

💭 To Reflect
Mary accepted the call of the Lord to be the Mother of the Word Incarnate, and said a YES to HIS WILL

✅ To Practise
Seek & do God’s Will

🙏🏻To Pray
Mamma Mary, intercede for me, that I may always seek and do God’s Will in my life, Amen!

“Transcending and rising up higher, to live our lives in the grandeur of Jesus and His Everlasting Kingdom, instead of merely being fixated in slimy earthly pleasures!”

(Based on Acts 6:8-7:1 and Jn 6:22-29 – Monday of the 3rd Week in Easter)

There is an old legend of a swan and a crane.

A beautiful swan alighted by the banks of the water, in which a crane was wading about, seeking snails.

For a few moments the crane viewed the swan in incredulous wonder and then inquired: “Where do you come from?”

“I come from heaven!” replied the swan.
“And where is heaven?” asked the curious crane.

“Heaven!” said the swan, “Heaven! Have you never heard of heaven?”

And the beautiful bird went on to describe the grandeur of the Eternal City…
She told of streets of gold, and the gates and walls made of precious stones; of the river of life, pure as crystal, upon whose banks is the tree whose leaves shall be for the healing of the nations.

With eloquence, the swan described the beauty of the other world…
… but none of it, strangely, seemed to arouse the slightest interest of the crane.

Finally the crane asked: “Are there any snails there?”
“Snails??” repeated the swan; “No! Of course there are not!”

“Then,” said the crane, as it continued its search along the slimy banks of the pool, “you can have your heaven. I only want snails!”

The crane was satisfied with the lowly earthly “snails” and failed to have any interest for the divine “heavens”

How often we are also like this crane….
… interested only in earthly affairs, and least attracted to the heavenly realms
… busy only with gathering earthly pleasures but rejecting offers for heavenly happiness

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus chiding the people for following Him, just for the sake of earthly desires, and instead, invites and exhorts them to seek for higher and heavenly longings in life…

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (Jn 6: 27)

The people had witnessed Jesus’ great miracle of the multiplication of loaves.

Their hunger had been satisfied.
Their appetites had been gratified.

In Jesus, they found a person who was able to answer the bodily needs.

In Jesus, they found a person who was able to satisfy their material desires.

The people desired to crown Him as their King!

Is this not a trend in our society as well?

How often are the bread-givers and money-makers held in high esteem, even in our days…
… at the expense of people who are unable contribute much or do much work.

Think of the aged, the sick, the invalids in our own houses, communities and societies, who are unable to work or contribute anything materially…

How often do we neglect them!
How often do we put them down!
How often do we call them as useless!

We sometimes glorify people based only their work, their position and their activities…

The “being” of a person is often neglected
… only the “doing” of a person is exalted!

The “essence” of a person is often not given value
… only the “work” of a person is given credit!

But Jesus refrains from being a victim to this mentality of the society.

He refuses to be their “Bread-Boss!”
He rejects to being their “Materialistic-Messiah!”

And so when people, come to Him, Jesus recognizes their motive in seeking Him…
… and He chides them saying: “Amen, Amen, I say to you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs but you ate the loaves and were filled.

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (Jn 6: 26-27)

The Lord seeks to lead the people to desire for the higher realities of life.

And this is the wish of the Lord for each one of us too, that we…
… be interested not only in worldly affairs; rather, we be more attracted to the heavenly realms
… be busy not only with gathering earthly satisfactions; but, we accept and embrace more of heavenly happiness

It is true that “to the hungry one, food and other material wants demand higher urgency”

It is not denied that “to the one whose basic needs are not met, material satisfaction is important”

But having said this… one must also be willing to accept, that beyond these material aspects, the human person has greater needs – on a spiritual sense, that of the soul, towards the transcendental realities!

What is needed therefore, is a proper prioritizing…

Does God and the Heavenly realities mean more to me, than earthly desires?
Does Jesus and His Virtues occupy primal position in my life, than the worldly values?

A true prioritizing and firm conviction alone can help us to be the true witnesses of Jesus, the Messiah.

Jesus is our model and example, Who, in His life, accorded the first and primal place to God and His Will.

The lives of the saints and the martyrs are also proof for this fact.

In the Acts of the Apostles, 6:8-15, we read of how St Stephen, the first Martyr of the Church, “was filled with grace and power, and could withstand any persecution”, because he had a made a choice for Jesus and His Kingdom, above all!

He rejected all worldly promises and desires that blocked his view of the Kingdom!

Are we going to be a people, merely fixed in searching, through the slimy banks, for ‘snails’ of earthly pleasures?

or we going to be a people, who can transcend and rise up higher, to live our lives in the grandeur of Jesus and His Everlasting Kingdom?

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
JEWISH LITURGY AND CHRISTIAN LITURGY.

In the liturgy of the New Covenant every liturgical action, especially the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church.
The liturgical assembly derives its unity from the “communion of the Holy Spirit” who gathers the children of God into the one Body of Christ. This assembly transcends racial, cultural, social – indeed, all human affinities.
The assembly should prepare itself to encounter its Lord and to become “a people well disposed.” the preparation of hearts is the joint work of the Holy Spirit and the assembly, especially of its ministers.
The grace of the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father’s will.

These dispositions are the precondition both for the reception of other graces conferred in the celebration itself and the fruits of new life which the celebration is intended to produce afterward. (CCC #1097-1098)