Acts 7:51 - 8:1 / John 6:30-35
A telescope has two ends. And depending on which end we look into, there will be two images of reverse sizes.
Looking into the end from which we would normally look into, what we will see is a magnified image of a distant object.
But if we were to look into the other end, we will get this feeling that we are looking at the same object through a tube, and what we get is a tunnel-vision of that object.
In today's two readings, there were two groups of people, and each group was like looking into the two different ends of the telescope.
In the 1st reading, there were the elders and scribes who were infuriated with Stephen for what he said about them - that they were a stubborn people with pagan hearts and pagan ears, resisting the Holy Spirit just as their ancestors did, and that they were betrayers and murderers of the prophets right down to Jesus.
They looked at Stephen from the other end of the telescope, and to them he was so insignificant that doing away with him was no issue at all.
But Stephen, on the other hand, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on God's right hand. Stephen saw beyond and much more.
In the gospel, the people saw Jesus as a supplier with an unending flow of bread who will satisfy their own needs.
What they couldn't see is that Jesus is the mystical bread of life who came to satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst.
May our eyes be opened to see the spiritual and the mystical dimensions of the Eucharist and come to be filled by Jesus the bread of life so that we will always look for the things of above instead of being too focused on the things of earth.