The Eucharist: Listen and Respond - John 6:24-35
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
The crowd in this section of chapter six of John’s Gospel cannot get enough of Jesus. They are following him wherever he goes because they are entertained by the signs that he is performing. After all, feeding five thousand people with just a little bread and fish is impressive!
However, Jesus redirects their energy so that they do not simply look to him for their next meal, but for the food that will forever satisfy the deepest longings and desires of their hearts.
An important dialogue takes place in which the crowd listens to what Jesus is saying and calling them to do and then responds by seeking what he is offering them: himself, the “bread of life.” In doing so, some of them “come” to him so that they will “never hunger” and “believe” in him so that they will “never thirst.”
In the Liturgy of the Word of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we Listen to God speaking to our hearts and inviting us to come to him. We then Respond in faith by taking part in the one offering of Christ and by coming to him to be fed in Holy Communion so that we will never hunger or thirst.
First Reading – we listen to God speaking to us his love and his promise of salvation.
Responsorial Psalm – we meditate on and respond to God’s Word from the depths of our hearts in song.
Second Reading – we listen to God calling us to embrace the salvation won for us in and through Christ.
Gospel Acclamation – we welcome and greet the Lord who is about to speak to us in the Gospel.
Gospel – we experience the presence of Christ among us as we listen to him speaking to us, revealing God’s love, and calling us to conversion.
Homily – we reflect on the Word of God proclaimed: how it relates to our lives and what it is calling us to do.
Universal Prayer – we pray for the needs of the Church, vocations, our civil leaders, the needs of the local community, those who experience need of any kind (poor, sickness, etc.), and those who have died.
Profession of Faith – we respond to the Word of God proclaimed and explained by honoring and confessing the great mysteries of the faith.
Rev. Christopher R. Seibt
Pastor of Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy Parishes
Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of Syracuse