Shalom

20 Apr Sat	3rd Week of Easter
	Acts 9:31-42 Ps. 116:12-17 Jn. 6:60-69

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Since last Friday, the weekday gospel reading at Mass each day has been Jesus' discourse in chapter 6 of St John's Gospel, about Himself being the Bread of Life. He Himself is the nourishment for the new life that we now share, we who believe in Him as risen from death and healer of the world's brokenness by taking away our sin. Many who heard Jesus speaking couldn't or didn't want to understand what He was saying. Even people who'd begun to follow Him couldn't accept His words, and stopped going with Him. Jesus showed no surprise at this; rather, He even asked His closest companions if they too would go away because His message was too hard to accept or believe. And this became the occasion for those brave words of St Peter, "Lord, to whom should we go? You have the words of life". Consoling, comforting words, words of deep faith, to help us remember that our faith itself is God's gift and grace; words for each of us in times of doubt or hesitation or difficulty in believing, in accepting Christ's words. He not only has the words of life: He is the Word of life. And that's the life we share, a resurrection life that's given us in Baptism and nourished in the shared Eucharist where we accept Him as our Bread of Life, the true Body of Christ we receive.

Lord Jesus, Bread of our life, Word of Life, deepen our faith and make us share Your word and Your life with people around us with whom we share our own daily nourishment and the words of everyday companionship.

DAILY OFFERING

Eternal Father, I offer You everything I do this day; my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings. Grant that, vivified by the Holy Spirit and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my life this day may be of service to You and to others. I also pray that all those preparing for marriage discover in Sacrament the source of Christ's grace for living a fithful and fruitful love. Amen.

PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH

INTENTION
That in the many rapid changes taking place in today's world, the importance of the family may be recognised in its fundamental vocation as cradle of life and school of faith and right values
Elaboration

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P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H

INTENTION :	That in the many rapid changes taking place in today's world, the importance of the family may be recognised in its fundamental vocation as cradle of life and school of faith and right values
The family as a domestic Church and cradle of life is the appropriate setting in which faith can increase. It is here that faith can be nourished through an attitude of appreciation of the treasure which parents are called on to transmit to their children through personal words and testimonies of life. This attitude must then be nourished with a sense of wonder and hope and it must be contemplated as Mary contemplated it in the face of the Word she received and the events of her life. This deep sense of faith helps parents and their children to fulfil the vocation received from God. Parents, teaching their children and bearing witness to the true sense of suffering and dying, lead the young to be more attentive to all forms of suffering. They, thus develop positive attitudes of assistance and sharing with others, especially with weaker people like the sick and the aged. This life of faith must be continually nourished through individual and family prayer. On the strength of this foundation the family becomes a place for training in justice, self-control, temperance, respect for the personal dignity of each individual and the service of the poor and needy.
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