Acts 7:51 - 8:1 / John 6:30-35
It is said that there are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.
That is so true when we reflect deeper on it.
Because more than shelter and clothing, we need food to satisfy our most basic need and to curb the hunger for survival.
But that does not mean that we can make food our gods; rather we need to see food as from God.
That is why we say grace before and after meals to thank God for His providence.
In the gospel Jesus tells us that He is the bread of life.
Jesus is not just the bread for hunger but He is also the bread of life.
In partaking of this bread, our hunger in life and our hunger for life is fulfilled.
In the 1st reading, St. Stephen understood Jesus as his bread of life, and hence he was able to give up his life willingly in witness to Jesus and to even ask forgiveness for his persecutors.
As we come up for communion later, let us receive Jesus with reverence and thanksgiving and adoration.
We are receiving the bread of God which comes down from heaven to satisfy and fulfill our hunger.