I was clueless on what to do 0when I started as a leader in our community. So I looked for mentors. I’d consult my senior leaders whenever I was confused, worried, or challenged.

In our reading today, the Spirit of the Lord asked Philip to sit by the road where the eunuch would pass. Philip heard the eunuch reading the book of Isaiah, got curious, and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch said, “I can’t understand it unless someone explains to me.” The eunuch invited Philip to sit down and teach him. This led to the eunuch’s conversion.

I believe God directs people in our path. Some people can inspire, mentor, and support us. The question is, do we allow them to sit beside us? Are we humble and open to learn from them? 

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit for humility and wisdom. Let’s see every person and situation as a learning opportunity. It may lead to the conversion of our hearts, our relationships, our careers, and our lives. 

Monching Bueno (ramon_bueno@yahoo.com)

reflect

What are your goals? Think of people who can help you get there. Be humble to ask and be open to learn. 

Lord, open my eyes to the people You’ve sent to help me. Give me a humble heart to learn from them. Change my heart. Change my life.

St. Peter of Tarentaise, pray for us.

Attentiveness to the leading of the Holy Spirit is part of a disciple’s life. Failure to listen to the Holy Spirit can result in frustration. We are busy with many things, but none of these seem to fulfill us. Why? Because it is easy to be busy doing good things; but we need to be busy doing the things God wants us to do.

²⁶ The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.” ²⁷ So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.” ³⁰ Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. ³² This was the Scripture passage he was reading: Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth. ³³ In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will tell of his posterity? For his life is taken from the earth. ³⁴ Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, “I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. ³⁶ As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” ^37-38 Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him.³⁹ When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news to all the towns until he reached Caesarea. 

 Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20

R: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

⁸ Bless our God, you peoples, loudly sound his praise; ⁹ He has given life to our souls, and has not let our feet slip. (R) ¹⁶ Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare what he has done for me. ¹⁷ When I appealed to him in words, praise was on the tip of my tongue. (R) ²⁰ Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or his kindness! (R) 

Gospel | John 6:44-51

Every good thing in the world happens by the grace of God. Our sinfulness has damaged our capacity for communion and relationship with God and one another. We need His grace to be able to do good and to be good. Let us pray for God to strengthen our faith so we can completely trust His will for us.

Gospel Acclamation

I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever.

⁴⁴ Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; ⁵⁰ this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read DEUTERONOMY 31 - 34 today.

A group of professors was invited to ride on a plane. When the doors were closed and the aircraft was about to take off, the captain announced that their students had made this plane. All the professors panicked toward the emergency exits to evacuating from the aircraft. One professor, however, calmly remained in his seat. A fellow professor asked why he was not evacuating from the plane, “Are you confident you taught them well?” He calmly replied, “Surely, this plane will not fly.”

Teachers play a special role in the students’ learning process. Their expertise in their field of study guides the learner to a comprehensive understanding of knowledge. Today’s readings give us the key to understanding God’s way. In the First Reading, the deacon Philip served as a teacher to the eunuch in his search for the meaning of the Scriptures. “How can I [understand] unless someone instructs me?” These are the words of the eunuch that indicated his desire to learn the Word of God. With this, Philip accompanied him, which led to his baptism. 

The Gospel, on the other hand, is the continuation of the Bread of Life Discourse. Here, Jesus referred to the Scriptures to explain to the crowd “the Bread that came down from heaven.” Being nourished by the Bread of Life is preceded by understanding the Word of God: “They shall be taught by God.”

Those who follow the ways of God will always be learned and wise. What Jesus teaches us is not something strange but His own self. He is the Word made Flesh, the Wisdom that does not only nurture the mind but also nourishes the heart. Let us allow God to teach us. 

Fr. Eugene Fadul

reflection question

Who is helping you understand the Word of God?  

Lord, teach me Your ways through Your Word. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ____________________________________