I am the Bread of Life

Acts 7:51-8:1, Jn 6:30-35. Today's first reading compares Stephen’s martyrdom with the passion of Christ. Jesus and Stephen were tried for blasphemy and condemned by the Sanhedrin and died asking for forgiveness for their persecutors. Stephen is honoured as the 'proto-martyr' of Christianity, a disciple whose death, modeled on that of Jesus, led straight to Heaven. Jesus is at pains to point out that true faith is deeper than amazement at the sensational and spectacular. In the famous Gospel of John (10:10), Jesus said He had come that we might have life, life in all its fullness. The giving of Manna long ago in the desert was a pre-figuring of Jesus as the true "Bread of Life" that had come into the world. People in the desert ate bread to satisfy physical hunger and sustain physical life.

Spiritual hunger can be satisfied and spiritual life sustained only through an intimate relationship with Jesus. That is why Jesus declares Himself in today's Gospel as the "Bread of Life". The manner of Stephen’s dying is the fruit of faith and his personal relationship with Jesus. His death is modelled on the way Jesus died. That is the witness of a strong spirit nourished by the "Bread of Life". Those who share and partake in the "Bread of Life" will rejoice forever and have part in the inheritance and grace that God promised to His people. Our daily union with Jesus in spirit inspires us, like Stephen, to live by his outlook and attitudes.

May the Lord, the Bread of Life, be with us always and guide us, to be courageous like Stephen and help us to be victorious over coronavirus pandemic! Amen!! Stay safe, Peace be with you!!!