“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”– John 6:29

        My life is filled with big and small miracles from the Lord such as giving my family the money we desperately needed and providing the perfect ride to where I needed to go. These miracles make me believe all the more in God’s love for me.

        I am filled with awe whenever I come before the beauty of His creation.“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1). I always praise and thank Him when I see them because I know there is a God who created these wondrous sights. Getting to these places are miracles in itself because God provided me with the means to get there. Rissa Espinosa (rissa_d_espinosa@yahoo.com)

Reflect: Do you believe in God even if you do not receive the signs you ask for? 

Lord, we pray that we believe in You and in Your works in whatever place and situation we find ourselves in.

Stephen proclaims that Jesus, the Son of God, is the authority over the Ten Commandments. It is the Gospel truth that he preaches and this causes problems with the Jewish leaders. They cannot win an argument with Stephen who is anointed by the Holy Spirit with the words to speak. The truth always prevails in the end.

Acts 6:8-15

8 Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, 10 but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. 11 Then they instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They presented false witnesses who testified, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law. 14 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.” 15 All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

P S A L M 

Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30

R: Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

23 Though princes meet and talk against me, your servant meditates on your statutes. 24 Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors. (R) 26 I declared my ways, and you answered me; teach me your statutes. (R) 27 Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds. (R) 29 Remove from me the way of falsehood, and favor me with your law. 30 The way of truth I have chosen; I have set your ordinances before me. (R) 

GOSPEL

Let us be vigilant and prevent worldly influences from taking over our lives, lest we become remiss in our work for God’s Kingdom. Let us not allow the world to distract us from the things that really matter – our faith and living righteously as the Church taught us.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION  

One does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. 

A priest and his sacristan from a small barrio were on their way to celebrate Mass in a remote area. The priest boasted to his sacristan about his popularity with the people. When they took the jeepney, the passengers clapped their hands. Impressed, the sacristan asked the passengers, “You’re all fans of Father too?”  There was only silence and a blank stare from everyone.

“Why did you all clap your hands when Father arrived?” the sacristan inquired.  The passenger next to him whispered, “We’ve been waiting for a while. The jeepney driver said we need just two more passengers before we depart.”

Fame is seductive. It can be intoxicating. Whether you are popular for the right reason or not, it can get into your head. Early in His ministry, Jesus was beginning to gain popularity. Owing to the wisdom of His preaching and some miracles and wonders He was performing, His fan base was steadily growing.

In today’s Gospel, people were literally spying on His whereabouts (see v. 22). Once they realized that Jesus was not where they expected Him to be, they got into their boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus (see v. 24). Later on, we will discover that their motive for looking for Jesus needed redirection. After the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, they were following Him because they wanted free lunch (see vv. 26-27). Though their motives needed to be purified, the point is, they missed His presence.

Jesus’ presence was life-giving. His presence was inspiring and gave joy to the people around Him. As a shepherd in charge of a community myself, I wonder if my presence has the same value to my community.

Who was it who said that sometimes it’s good to build up walls around you to see who misses you enough to break it down? As persons, we are called to leave “footprints” in the hearts of the people around us. What a tragedy it would be when you are absent and people do not even care or notice.

May we all be spared from this failure in our relationships. Fr. Joel O. Jason

------- REFLECTION QUESTION -------

A line from a pop song goes,“You take me in the heart when you take me by the hand.” Do you have that effect on people?

Make me a gift to every person I meet today, O Lord. Amen.
Today, I pray for: __________________________________________