seeing your life through the lens of the gospels
John 6:51-58
1 In the Gospel of John, the author frequently presents people as misunderstanding what Jesus says. Jesus then uses the mistake to lead his hearers to a deeper understanding of his teaching. When have you found that clarification of a misunderstanding helped you to greater wisdom or deeper faith?
2 Recall some treasured gifts that you have received. Then think of people who gave you something of themselves. Is it not true that such a gift outweighs any material present? When have you received such a gift? To whom have you given this gift?
3 In this Gospel faith is not a concept but a relationship. Faith leads us to believe in Jesus and to trust him who gave his life for us. As you look back on the development of your faith, what has helped to increase your trust in Jesus so that you believe that you are never on your own no matter what difficulties arise in your life?
4 Jesus promises that those who come to him will have life. In what ways have you found that believing in God’s love, and believing that Jesus came to tell us about that love, has been life-giving for you?
John Byrne OSA
Email john@orlagh.ie
Questions people ask
Q. If the Eucharistic Bread was subjected to laboratory testing before and after the consecration, would the results be any different?
A. There is no chemical or physical change at the consecration, so the chemical analysis would yield the same result before and after the consecration. In the same way, a chemical test on Jesus of Nazareth during his life on earth would have found the elements of a human body but would not have detected his divinity. Our faith is based on the words of Jesus. The Son of God dwelt for some thirty-three years in human nature, and now he comes to us as the bread of life, made holy in the consecrated bread and wine.
Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap
Email silvesteroflynn@gmail.com
The Deep End
Cop on or Cop out
The message on the church bulletin board reads: ‘Those who stand for nothing fall for everything.’ Wisdom is knowing what to stand for – and standing up for it. Wisdom is putting knowledge to good use. Today’s First Reading (Prov 9:1-6) urges us to ‘lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight’ (v 6). Easier said than done.
Someone who is immature is not ripe. Growth in one or more areas of their life slowed down or stopped completely at some stage. It’s scary enough that such a thing can happen, but to make matters worse it can happen without our realising it until it’s late in the day.
Today’s reading also tells us to walk in the way of insight. Fine! But how do you do that? You can’t just decide to have an insight as you’d have a cup of tea. You can’t conjure one up, order one over the Internet, or go to a shop and buy one. No! They either come to you or they don’t. However, maybe it’s just one basic insight that the reading refers to. Once you’ve had that one others follow of their own accord as life presents them. But without the basic one you miss the others. And what is more basic to realise than that life has purpose, and consequences that extend beyond death. Once that sinks in we begin to see things differently.
Wisdom has built her house, set her pillars, and prepared a meal for those who enter. So let’s put immaturity aside and live. Let’s cop on not cop out.
Fr Tom Cahill SVD, Divine Word Missionaries, Donamon, Co Roscommon
Email tomcee@svdireland.com
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