“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; …and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”  Can you imagine the wheels turning in the minds of that first audience who heard the message that we just heard in today’s Gospel.  His disciples, faithful Jews, were probably familiar with the manna and quail that God sent his people in the desert; we heard about that in today’s first reading.  But wait, what? Did he […]

John 3:16 – the first verse of the gospel passage we just heard – is a very popular Bible verse.  You see the numbers on T-shirts and on billboards, especially if you drive through some of the states to our south.  Sometimes you even see the verse:  “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  It is, indeed, a very popular slogan.  And, when we really listen to it with open hearts, […]

We all know that Pentecost marks the birthday of the Church.  Birthdays are a time of celebration and recognition of our beginnings.  They are times to reflect on our identity: what makes us who we are.  Our readings today reveal important aspects of who we are as a Church.

In the first reading, we hear the Holy Spirit described as a strong driving wind that fills an entire house.  Imagine the power of this moment.  It is inescapable and full of energy.  With a noise like a strong driving wind, and […]

Saying goodbye to loved ones is often very hard.  This is especially true when that goodbye may be a final one.  St. John has several chapters in his Gospel dedicated to Jesus saying goodbye to his disciples just before his passion and death on the cross.  As we have over the past two Sundays, we hear again in today’s Gospel a portion of that final discourse, and it summarizes his teaching while also expressing his concern that they be prepared for his absence.  Jesus’ aim is to convince the disciples […]