Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. — Psalm 66:1

Mass Readings: Acts 8:1b-8/John 6:35-40 

A Different Kind of Life 

You’ve probably heard today’s Gospel read at a funeral Mass, or sung the hymn there titled after its first line: “I Am the Bread of Life.” But on those somber occasions when, let’s face it, we’re really thinking about death, I wonder if we miss the excitement Jesus’ followers must have felt when He promised them a new kind of life. 

Last summer I visited a sprawling mountain parish in Honduras where some 50,000 Catholics, in 80 villages, depend on two priests. The poverty and hard labor of the people’s lives seemed unendurable. Yet they eagerly walked rock-strewn, rain-rutted paths for hours to get to Communion. When they received the Lord, you could see on their faces that He had raised them up and healed their spirits, and for them He was truly the Bread of Life. 

Prayer: Jesus, I turn to You for new life, now and forever.