Daily Gospel Reflection for August 8, 2021 - 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6:41-51

Here, we are presented with Jesus both as the divine revelation of the Word and as the Eucharist, the living bread which provides nourishment made “flesh for the life of the world”. One cannot miss the bit of irony to be found here in that the fullness of this meaning could not be understood by the Jews around Him. For while they assert their familiarity with the physical personage of Jesus, they cannot see past who they have come to know Him to be. They will ‘hunger and thirst again’, working for “food that perishes”, unable to look past the satisfaction of their earthly hunger.

Just prior to this Bread of Life discourse, we are invited to consider the difference between perishable food and the food of eternal life in the multiplication of the loaves. Likewise, it is echoed in experience of the Exodus for the Israelites in the manna that came from heaven, and the water brought forth from the stone. For while this food sustained the Israelites in the desert, it could not promise eternal life.

In a time of COVID where the poignant loss of Eucharistic communion has been so present within our Catholic communities, this discourse takes on additional meaning for our lives today. Will absence truly make the heart grow fonder or will the time away foster our self-reliance on temporary satisfaction? This is where faithful witness to the real presence of Christ is so essential. Perhaps you know someone who has been away from Communion for some time. Take your intention to prayer, asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Then, if possible, be the invitation, sharing what the Eucharist means to you. Remember our participation also carries a graced responsibility.

Ponder:

Am I fully present for the reception of the Eucharist, understanding that Christ is fully and intimately present to me in that very moment?

Pray:

Lord, help me to recognize that only You can fulfill my every longing. And for those times I seek to rely on myself or on the temporary satisfaction of my needs, open my eyes to see the eternal.

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Am I fully present for the reception of the Eucharist, understanding that Christ is fully and intimately present to me in that very moment? #dailygospel

Copyright 2021 Elizabeth Reardon