Wednesday of the
Third Week of Easter
(Acts 8:1b-8; John 6:35-40)
In his recent apostolic exhortation Pope Francis reminds Christians
of their call to holiness. He says that
Christ provides them help to reach their goal.
When Christians feel overwhelmed, Francis exhorts them to beseech Christ
crucified. The pope only confirms what
Jesus is saying in today’s gospel.
Jesus boldly says, “I am the bread of life.” Attention should be given to both parts of
this statement. When Jesus declares, “I
am,” he is giving the code word for divinity. He is to be trusted more than
anyone else because he is God. When he
says, “…the bread of life,” he does not mean ordinary life for which food is
required to survive. Rather he provides
the means to the joy and peace of life in its fullest sense. He invites everyone - rich and poor, black
and white, homosexual and heterosexual – to accept his offer.
There is a cost to follow Jesus. It is not monetary, but it is substantial. If we are to become holy and have life in its
fullest sense, we have to walk in Jesus’ way.
We have to be patient with the elderly, compassionate with the needy,
and gracious to all. Do not worry. This is not a prescription of sacrifice so
much as one of happiness.
