I’m not a daily Mass goer. Yet. I wish I am! Honestly, I envy my friends who are able to do it.

I’m still praying for this special grace. But right now, my schedule needs a lot of fine-tuning. (This may just be my petty excuse!) I’m loaded with other responsibilities like caring for my mom (she’s 84), serving my very busy husband, and still doting on my grown-up boys. Yes, I’m hallucinating they still need me. And through all these, I meet Jesus there too.

What I do is insert Mass one or two times during the week. That’s why I love going to pilgrimages. (Thankfully, my husband leads two a year.) Aside from visiting the most sacred sites, I’m able to have Mass for 10 to 14 days straight. Oh, what bliss! 

I realize our entire life is one long pilgrimage. The sacred sites we visit? Our God-appointed responsibilities—loving our families, working on our jobs, cleaning our homes. That’s where we discover God’s presence too. But to remain strong in our journey, Jesus gives us food: Himself. We receive Him when we pray, read His Word, and celebrate Mass. 

Marowe Sanchez (marowesanchez@yahoo.com)

reflect

How does Jesus nourish you daily?

Lord, may I have a deeper desire to be united with You by receiving You more often in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

Saint Benedicta, pray for us.

The prophets remind us of the social dimension of the Gospel. Sometimes, it is not enough to offer the Gospel to people through words and concepts. We need to present the Gospel through various forms of practical aid and assistance. We are all called to look beyond ourselves and serve others, particularly those in need. This is a thankless task that can also lead to persecution, as many today do not understand the moral imperative to help those in need. 

⁵¹ Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. ⁵² Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. ⁵³ You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it.” ⁵⁴ When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. ⁵⁸ They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep. ^8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his execution.    

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 31:3-4, 6, 7, 8, 17, 21

R: Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

³ Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety. ⁴ You are my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me. (R) ⁶ Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O Lord, O faithful God. ⁷ My trust is in the Lord; ⁸ I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy. (R) ¹⁷ Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness. ²¹ You hide them in the shelter of your presence from the plottings of men. (R)

Gospel | John 6:30-35

Jesus promises that we will never go hungry again if we place our trust in Him. Here, He speaks about our need for spiritual food. The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 is a metaphor for our need for spiritual nourishment. Only Jesus can supply this need. We can look for answers in other places, and we may find some answers to satisfy us for a while, but they will eventually fail. Only God can fill the hunger that He placed in our hearts when He created us.

Gospel Acclamation

I am the bread of life, says the Lord; whoever comes to me will never hunger.

³⁰ The crowd said to Jesus: “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ³² So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴ So they said to Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always.” ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read DEUTERONOMY 23 - 26 today.

I agree with British writer and journalist H.M. Tomlinson when he said, “We see things not as they are, but as we are.” If we are honest with ourselves, there are times when we don’t recognize the truth because of our prejudices, intolerances, and biases. The people in both readings today are portrayed as such. They could not see what was in front of them.

In the First Reading, Stephen chastised the people, especially the religious leaders of that time, because they were privileged to be told of the truth but they wouldn’t accept nor acknowledge it. Stephen admonished them, out of frustration for their blindness, their unwillingness to seek the meaning of the true message from the Holy Spirit. “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit.” When Stephen reminded them how the prophecies of the prophets whom they put to death came true in Jesus and how they had consistently refused to accept and acknowledge this truth, they became so angry at him that they stoned him to death. Most of the time, people don’t like to be told they’re wrong or to realize their mistakes. But that just perpetuates their blindness, and they persist in error and darkness. 

Similarly, the people in the Gospel kept looking for a sign. But Jesus points them to Himself as the sign from God. He is the sign. He is the bread from heaven. Sadly, those people also persisted in their blindness. They could not see what was there before their very eyes. 

Sadly, so many modern-day Stephens in our midst continue to be criticized, maligned, and misjudged simply because they communicate the inconvenient truth that people do not want to acknowledge. 

Fr. Ricky Montañez, AA

reflection question

Do you welcome prophets in your midst and acknowledge prophetic truths with humility and openness? 

Lord, let me recognize and heed the many signs You send to me, calling me to humility and fidelity to You and Your commands. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _________________________________