This week’s Gospel message for Sunday, August 1st is from John 6:24-35.
“Jesus . . . said, ‘Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.’ So they said to him, ‘What can we do to accomplish the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent. . .I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.’”
“When uncertain of what to believe, it is natural to look for signs. We look for some insight into the truth. In his Gospel, John referred to Jesus’ miracles as signs. The crowd in today’s Gospel passage saw his sign of the loaves and fish and now ask for a sign ‘that we may see and believe’ (John 6:30). We may ask ourselves what signs we need to see in order to believe. Perhaps we would be better off asking ourselves what signs we can provide so that others may believe. How can we multiply what we have in order to nourish more people than we can imagine?” SOURCE: Pastoral Patterns, Autumn 2021
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Num 11:4b-15; Matt 14:13-21
Tuesday Num 12:1-13; Matt 14:22-36
Wednesday Num 13:1-2, 25—14:1, 26a-29a, 34-35; Matt 15:21-28
Saint John Vianney, Priest (Memorial) – “He was renowned as a confessor that hundreds visited daily. He heard confessions for twelve to sixteen hours a day and gave a short lesson each morning.”
Thursday Num 20:1-13; Matt 16:13-23
Friday Dan 7:9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Mark 9:2-10
The Transfiguration of the Lord (Feast) – “The transfiguration has been observed on this day by the universal Church since the fifteenth century. May we remember that our own lives can be changed by God’s power to give new life.”
Saturday Deut 6:4-13; Matt 17:14-20
SOURCE: Living With Christ, August 2021
“The first thing about the angels that we ought to imitate is their consciousness of the Presence of God.” —Saint John Vianney