The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to consider the consequences that may be associated with rejection of Jesus' message and our mission to introduce the world to the “Bread of Life”.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes Stephen’s Martyrdom.
* [7:55] He…saw…Jesus standing at the right hand of God: Stephen affirms to the Sanhedrin that the prophecy Jesus made before them has been fulfilled (Mk 14:62).
* [7:57] Covered their ears: Stephen’s declaration, like that of Jesus, is a scandal to the court, which regards it as blasphemy. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalms 31 is a lament with a strong emphasis on trust.
* [Psalm 31] A lament (Ps 31:2–19) with a strong emphasis on trust (Ps 31:4, 6, 15–16), ending with an anticipatory thanksgiving (Ps 31:20–24). As is usual in laments, the affliction is couched in general terms. The psalmist feels overwhelmed by evil people but trusts in the “God of truth” (Ps 31:6).
* [31:6] Into your hands I commend my spirit: in Lk 23:46 Jesus breathes his last with this Psalm verse. Stephen in Acts 7:59 alludes to these words as he is attacked by enemies. The verse is used as an antiphon in the Divine Office at Compline, the last prayer of the day. (Psalms, PSALM 31 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, the Bread of Life discourse continues.
* [6:31] Bread from heaven: cf. Ex 16:4, 15, 32–34 and the notes there; Ps 78:24. The manna, thought to have been hidden by Jeremiah (2 Mc 2:5–8), was expected to reappear miraculously at Passover, in the last days. (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Steve Scholer poses the question: Without the spiritual nourishment derived from coming to Jesus in prayer, will we be like those who lack food and clean water, and face dire consequences?
Dire consequences indeed, should be our response. We need to repeat to ourselves often, or at least daily, what Jesus said in today’s Gospel: I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
As we go about our all too busy and all too messy lives, let us take time to consider that the bread of life we might take for granted is truly a gift, and one for which we should forever be thankful, a gift we can use to its fullest potential by coming to Jesus whenever we are in need. Just as those who are hungry and thirsty are searching for relief, we can reach out to God and be thankful for his watchful eye and attentive ear.
By strengthening our belief in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and enlisting their help through our prayers and petition, we, too, will never be hungry and never thirst … for with Jesus, we have the bread of life. (Scholer, 2025)
Don Schwager quotes “Trusting in the Lord,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"If you put your trust in money, you are paying futile regard to vain things; if you put your trust in high office or some exalted rank in human government, you are paying futile regard to vain things... When you put your trust in all these, either you expire and leave them all behind, or they will crumble while you are still alive, and what you trusted will have let you down... For my part, I do not put my trust in empty things as they do or pay futile regard to them; I have put my trust in the Lord." (excerpt from Exposition on the Psalms 31,12) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:30-35 comments that Jesus declares today: that he is the Bread of Life. That in him we will never hunger or thirst. That he comes to dwell within us through his Body and Blood. That in him, we receive all the grace that we need. That his presence is the greatest gift that we can receive. Yet if we rely only on our senses, we see only bread and wine. Our awareness of Jesus in the Eucharist can grow dull. That’s why Jesus offers countless ways to experience his presence more deeply.
For example, you might stay after Mass on Sunday to thank God for the gift of his Son whom you just received in Communion. You could attend daily Mass to receive Jesus more frequently. You might spend time in Eucharistic Adoration. Or you might read the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel and ponder the mystery of Jesus’ gift of his Body and Blood. Whatever you do, know that Jesus delights in encountering you!
Today, the Lord is inviting you to rediscover him as the Bread of Life. Let him fill you with the awe and wonder that St. Clare knew. Let him convince you that he can satisfy your deepest hunger!
“Jesus, I am amazed that you want to come to me through the humble but powerful gift of your own Body and Blood!” (Meditation on John 6:30-35, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the “kangaroo court” that seized and killed Stephen as a consequence of his proclamation of Jesus' identity. Saul, the Hebrew form of the Greco-Roman name of Paul, is witness to Stephen's martyrdom. Friar Jude notes that the “Bread of Life” discourse builds on the Hebrew understanding of Wisdom in the person of Lady Wisdom in the Hebrew Testament who offered a meal of bread and wine.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Benedict of Nursia (480–587) is a central figure in the founding of Western monasticism. CAC affiliate faculty Carmen Acevedo Butcher describes how Benedict’s prayerful life in the desert became a chosen and holy exile from a world in crisis. We can learn much from Benedict. Fr. Richard asks: “During societal disorder and crushing need, how did he sustain both his own and communal peace and compassionate activity?
Richard Rohr’s allegorical adaptation of Archimedes’ law of the lever, in A Lever and a Place to Stand, can be applied to and can deepen our appreciation of Benedict, who repeatedly chose to live in and from the “fixed point” of a contemplative stance. In this calm place of daily ora [prayer]—Psalm-chanting and Scripture-steeping lectio divina—Benedict stood “steady, centered, poised, and rooted,” gaining “a slight distance from the world” even as his heart or fulcrum of engagement was “quite close to the world, … loving it, feeling its pains and its joys” as his own. In prayer, Benedict experienced a “detachment from the … useless distractions, and the daily delusions of the false self” that gave his fulcrum, set in the suffering of wrecked empire, the capacity to “move the world” through various “levers” of compassionate action, or labora [work]. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We contemplate the role of Jesus as the “bread of life” as we seek Wisdom to translate our spiritual life to action as disciples bringing life to our environment.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 6, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/7?51
John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 6, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?30
Meditation on John 6:30-35. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 6, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/05/06/1268265/
Psalms, PSALM 31 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 6, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/31
Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Prayerful Exile. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 6, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-prayerful-exile/
Scholer, S. (2025, May 6). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 6, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/050625.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Am the Bread of Life. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 6, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=may6
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