Faith Daily | 2May 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p 507

Gracious Father,

who in your great mercy made glad the disciples

with the sight of the risen Lord:

give us such awareness of his presence with us

that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life,

and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOSPEL for the Day: John 6: 22-29

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ 26Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ 28Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ 29Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Catriona Tullberg

This reading follows on from the feeding of the five thousand and the subsequent time of Jesus walking on water. The next day the people on the shore wondered about the boats, the disciples and Jesus and went off to Capernaum to search for Jesus. When they found Him they wanted to know when He got there. This is the point at which Jesus draws attention to their eating and satisfying of their hunger – the work of finding food which can spoil rather than the food for eternal life.

The work of God is to follow Jesus and believe in Him. How easy or difficult it is to believe varies all the time in our lives as we are subject to so many influences. This is where the habits we develop of Prayer, attending church, talking with particular people, wandering in the garden, playing with our grandchildren, working hard on a particular task and so on. It is useful to really know our own personal rhythms and how and when we interact knowingly with God; as well as those times of blankness or being drawn away. There is also that moment when we are suddenly aware of God’s presence and how he helps us along the way.

I really like the word “work” because it reminds me about my contribution to God’s world and that my effort is part of the communal giving that helps build our own communities. There are so many ways of loving and giving and they all support our belief in our God, His Son and the Holy Spirit. We get back so much more.

FINAL PRAYER M Leunig 1990

We pray for the fragile ecology of the heart and mind. The sense of meaning. So finely assembled and balanced and easily overturned. The careful, ongoing construction of love. As painful and exhausting as the struggle for truth and as easily abandoned.

Hard fought and won are the shifting sands of this sacred ground, this ecology. Easy to desecrate and difficult to defend, this vulnerable joy, this exposed faith, this precious order. This sanity.

We shall be careful. With others and with ourselves.

Amen