The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the “Bread of Life” that is our source of peace when we endure persecution by living in Jesus Way.
The Reading from The Acts of the Apostles describes the Persecution of the Church that initiates the mission of Philip in Samaria.
* [8:1] All were scattered…except the apostles: this observation leads some modern scholars to conclude that the persecution was limited to the Hellenist Christians and that the Hebrew Christians were not molested, perhaps because their attitude toward the law and temple was still more in line with that of their fellow Jews (see the charge leveled against the Hellenist Stephen in Acts 6:13–14). Whatever the facts, it appears that the Twelve took no public stand regarding Stephen’s position, choosing, instead, to await the development of events.
* [8:3] Saul…was trying to destroy the church: like Stephen, Saul was able to perceive that the Christian movement contained the seeds of doctrinal divergence from Judaism. A pupil of Gamaliel, according to Acts 22:3, and totally dedicated to the law as the way of salvation (Gal 1:13–14), Saul accepted the task of crushing the Christian movement, at least insofar as it detracted from the importance of the temple and the law. His vehement opposition to Christianity reveals how difficult it was for a Jew of his time to accept a messianism that differed so greatly from the general expectation. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 66 praises God for powerful acts for Israel.
* [Psalm 66] In the first part (Ps 66:1–12), the community praises God for powerful acts for Israel, both in the past (the exodus from Egypt and the entry into the land [Ps 66:6]) and in the present (deliverance from a recent but unspecified calamity …
* [66:5–6] cf. the events described in Ex 14:1–15, 21; Jos 3:11–4:24 and Ps 114. (Psalms, PSALM 66 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, up to Jn 6:50, “bread of life” is a figure for God’s revelation in Jesus;
* [6:35–59] Up to Jn 6:50 “bread of life” is a figure for God’s revelation in Jesus; in Jn 6:51–58, the eucharistic theme comes to the fore. There may thus be a break between Jn 6:50–51. (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Jane Stein comments that the early disciples teach us that faith is not a protected place; it is a movement outward, sometimes compelled by pain or loss. Each place of suffering becomes a new space for grace to unfold.
In the Gospel, Jesus identifies Himself as the Bread of Life—the one who satisfies all hunger and thirst. His words move us from an outward struggle to an inward promise. “Whoever comes to me will never hunger.” The same Spirit who scattered the disciples now gathers all who believe into communion with Christ. Here, joy is not the denial of suffering but the fruit of being united to the will of the Father, who desires that “none be lost” but have eternal life.
When I read these passages together, I sense a call to trust in God’s transforming purpose. Even in times of fear or uncertainty, the divine pattern holds: persecution leads to witness, hunger leads to fulfillment, loss leads to resurrection. The story of the early Church is our story too. Christ feeds us with His presence so that we, nourished by the Bread of Life, can bring joy to the cities and hearts we touch today.
Blessings and Happy Easter! (Stein, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Possessing the Scriptures”, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When you understand anything in the Scriptures, it is love that is manifesting itself to you. When you fail to understand, it is love that is hiding itself from you. Those, therefore, who possess charity possess both what is manifest in the divine words and what is hidden in them." (excerpt from Sermon 350,2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:35-40 we can still struggle to understand and believe what Jesus says about his being the Bread of Life.
“Jesus, I believe that you are offering your very self—the gift of heavenly bread—to me. In faith I receive you, both at the altar and throughout my day. Help me to consume you at every moment. Help me to delight in knowing you. Help me to find in you the fulfillment of my longing for eternal life, with you and your Father and the Holy Spirit. This, Lord, is the food I long for. This is the only food that will satisfy my every hunger and thirst.”
“Lord, give me this Bread always!” (Meditation on John 6:35-40, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Acts a great persecution is occuring in Jerusalem. The Hellenistic Jewish Christians fled. Philip acts to heal and exorcise evil. Many flee but instead Philip proclaims to the people in difficult times. We can use difficulty to reach out with empathy and kindness. We lighten their burden by carrying it with them. The Bread of Life discourse continues in the Gospel of John leading to the revelation of the Bread of Life as His Nature. Now He proclaims how much God loves us and if we embrace that we are one with Jesus and the Father we are acquiring communion with God. Friar Jude notes this is the vertical dimension of Eucharist.
Brian McLaren describes a favorite place in nature from his childhood. He honors the grief that arises when the places we have known and loved change.
Several years ago, I was in the old neighborhood again…. The trail was still there, but now it was broad and paved for bicycles. The wetland had disappeared…. As I sat on one of the benches and looked around, I was overcome by sweet grief for the delight I once enjoyed as a boy, a lost magic boys and girls today will never know, at least, not there….
I’m returning to this precious place in my memory, this sacred swampy ground. I’m appreciating it, praising it for what it was, all the more because it has been lost…. You have your lost places unknown to me. I have mine unknown to you. We could not protect them. But we do not let these good creations disappear only to be forgotten, unappreciated, unpraised, unlamented. Our love for them outlasts their existence. So together, we remember them in grief. We feel them more fully revealing themselves to us in their passing away….
Stay with grief long enough to feel its sweetness, long enough for the sweetness and grief to deepen our sensitivity to the exquisite agony and ecstasy that we call appreciation, praise, love … and life. (McLaren, n.d.)
We ponder the meaning to us of Christ as the “Bread of Life” and how our faith offers us hope that we are nourished by the vertical nature of our Communion to support the horizontal action to which we are commissioned as salt and light in the world.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/8?
John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?
McLaren, B. (n.d.). Beauty, Memory, and Grief. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 22, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/beauty-memory-and-grief/
Meditation on John 6:35-40. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 22, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/22/1548287/
Psalms, PSALM 66 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/66?1
Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Will Raise You up at the Last Day. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 22, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
Stein, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton On Line Ministries. Retrieved April 22, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-22-2026
