Daily Gospel Reflection for April 27, 2023

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

Reflection by Kerri Banauch

Today's Gospel: John 6:44-51

We receive one body in this life to take care of. Our earthly body needs exercise, water, and food to strengthen and nourish it or it will die. But we are not just bodies, we are both body and soul. Our souls need to be strengthened and nourished as well. In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us how we are to do this.

I was most struck in this Gospel by the first section when Jesus says that we “shall all be taught by God” and that we need to listen to the Father and learn from Him. I always think of the Bread of Life discourse when I think of John chapter 6. I noticed for the first time that before even talking about the bread of life, Jesus first reminds us that we need prayer and a relationship with God. That relationship strengthens our soul in the same way as exercise strengthens our body. We need daily prayer, we need to build a relationship by learning about God through spiritual reading. All these things will strengthen our soul.

Just as our body needs food and exercise to be fully strengthened and nourished, our soul needs strengthening and nourishing too. Food, in this case the Eucharist, nourishes our soul and gives us strength on our journey to heaven. But we need more than that, we also need a relationship with God. Jesus reminds us through today’s Gospel that we need both the food He gives us, the “living bread that came down from heaven,” and a prayer life so that we strengthen our souls for deeper relationship with God.

Ponder:

What am I doing to strengthen and nourish my soul on a daily basis?

Pray:

My God, thank You for creating me, body and soul. Help me to continually nourish and strengthen my soul with Your love through my daily prayers.

Click to tweet:

Just as our body needs food and exercise to be fully strengthened and nourished, our soul needs strengthening and nourishing too. #DailyGospel

Copyright 2023 Kerri Baunach

Kerri Baunach lives in Lexington, KY with her husband and three boys. She’s a Benedictine Oblate with the Archabbey of St. Meinrad in Indiana, attends the Traditional Latin Mass, and has been participating in these Gospel Reflections for several years.