May 2
Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM – Bartolo Spano / Mary Lee & Tom Muench
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
Acts 6:8-15
Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyreneans, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who testified, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30
R. (1ab) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
I declared my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Gospel Acclamation
Matthew 4:4b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
John 6:22-29
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because 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. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
“Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!”
Reflection
We all want to save for the future. Our parents, society, and certainly our financial advisors encourage us to save for a rainy day. Of course, this makes sense but not at the expense of our eternal life!
The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus knows that the gathered crowd has been searching for him not because he offers eternal life, but that he has fed the hungry crowds in the past, and they now desire more food. The food they desire will pass through them and will have no lasting effect!
Eating a meal requires very little in the way of devotion or change in one’s life, however, eating the food of eternal life does require a change. We must adjust the focus of our life. If we choose to eat what Christ gives us at each Mass, his own body and blood, we cannot fail to be changed. Our spirit should soar! The food of eternal life is a gift that keeps giving, ultimately delivering eternal life to those who believe. It is vital for us to remember that we do not earn the gift, but we do choose to accept the gift.
Let us be true to the call of Christ and be open to the change he can affect in us. Once Christ has fed us by the gift of his body and blood, we become changed people. Let us show that change to the entire world!
Peace,
Fr. John
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