The 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Today is Sunday the 8 August, beginning the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time.

The choir of Portsmouth Cathedral Sing Adoro te Devote.

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of John.

John 6:41-51

Jesus said to the crowd: “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

"No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father." If Jesus is right, you're only listening to this passage because God is bringing you to this time and place. How does it feel to hear that?

The image of bread is of a daily staple, something that nourishes, sustains, and enables us to grow.  What and whom do you need in your own life, day by day, to keep you going?

Can you remember a time when a simple piece of bread was just exactly what you needed? Let that memory come alive again for you now.

Listen again, listen to Jesus promising you eternal life.

Take a moment to thank God now, for whatever might happen today that will help you to be fully alive.  

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.