Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Then they instigated some men to say,
“We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God.”
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,
and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Acts 6:8-15
St. Stephen, our first martyr, was filled with grace and power! He was speaking Christ crucified and resurrected, new life through repentance and Baptism. Then, Stephen like Jesus was being falsely accused. It’s tough to be a disciple of Christ on many different levels. But, like Stephen, I love Jesus Christ and want more than anything to be with Him in heaven. Are you ready to battle for Jesus? The reward are eternal!
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” JN 6:22-29
The feeding of the 5000 is a foreshadowing of the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. The Eucharist has a profound effect on us, it is truly Jesus Christ. The crowd after receiving the bread could not resist to come back to Him. We, too, have many struggles in our life and continue to strive to be more holy. The Eucharist, over time, transforms us to be more like Christ, more holy. You are what you eat. After Communion, you have Jesus present inside you, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity for 7 minutes until the consecrated host is broken down. Remember, to have undistracted silent prayer during this time to talk to Jesus like texting a friend. Tell Him all of your thoughts, worries, anxieties, sins, joys, what you are thankful for, contrition-sorrow for sins that He just forgave you for by receiving the Eucharist, and your hope for heaven. Then, keep coming back to Him like the crowd in today’s Gospel. Never let the devil get such a hold on you that you stop receiving the Eucharist. Then, the Devil has won. Jesus is waiting for you and comes back to you each day. If you need to go to confession, it is offered everyday. Then, receive the Eucharist worthily and go forth “accomplishing the works of God”. ”This is the work of God, that you BELIEVE in the one he sent”.
Today’s challenge: If you are a sinner like me, go to confession. Receive the Eucharist worthily and go forth believing in Jesus Christ and accomplish the works of God. We are called to be Christ to the world, He gives us everything we need, do not be afraid.
Christian YOLO, YODO
Be a servant, Become a saint!
No Bible no breakfast, No Bible no bed.-Fr. Larry
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