Faith Daily | 5 May 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: 44-51

44No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Alan Dann

The Gospel according to John commences with the much quoted “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. There are seven “Ï am” sayings in the Gospel and this passage flows from the first of these in verse 35 “I am the bread of life”.

The passage seems to infer that a belief in God (the Father) is first “no one can come to me unless drawn by the Father”. Drawn in this context seems to me to be powerful. Being drawn to God the Father and learning to love Jesus the Son and commemorate his life, death and rising again in the Eucharist seems to me to be the prerequisite to being one with Jesus and His promise of eternal life with God.

Being drawn seems to be a relationship that develops over time. We enter into the relationship at baptism but that is just the start. It develops by allowing the love God offers to enter our hearts and is reflected in our actions, our good ideas and the encouragement that we give others.

We are not called to become familiar with Jesus and to admire him. We are invited right into the heart of God.

FINAL PRAYER David Adam “Traces of Glory”

Lord Jesus,

true bread from heaven,

giving life and refreshment to the world,

fill our lives with your goodness,

fill your church with your presence,

that we may live and work to your praise and glory,

who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

are one God, now and for ever.

Amen