Wednesday of the Third week of Easter
Lectionary: 275
Reading I
There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.
Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.”
Reflection: I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
In today's gospel reading we find Jesus helping the people who follow him to discover his true nature. The crowds are interested in the 'bread' that Jesus multiplied and distributed to the large gatherings. They are looking for their physical sustenance. But He uses these occasions of physical hunger to lead them to a deeper understanding of who he is. Jesus wants them to know him as the 'Bread of Life', the one who nourishes and sustains all things. The shift from the physical to the spiritual happens very smoothly. Jesus extends the invitation to the heavenly banquet to all. Hence all are welcome to the feast; no one will be turned away. Race, gender, age, place of origin, socio-economic status, or any other form of distinction will not be used to turn away those who come to the heavenly banquet. This is not an ideology for the future, Jesus proved this while he walked on the earth; he was surrounded by tax collectors, publicans, prostitutes, and all those who were marginalized in the Jewish society. He looked at them with much love and compassion; and they were quick to notice that he treated them with respect and dignity. And this unconditional acceptance brought about a change of heart in those who were far away from God. Jesus' logic is different from the one we would employ if we were to send an invitation for a birthday party or wedding reception. The riff-raff would never get a chance to be around us, leave aside the thought of inviting them to our celebrations. That is the reason why it is incredibly challenging to follow Jesus.