Daily Reflection, April 24, 2023

Readings:

Acts 6:8-15
John 6:22-29

Reflection:

In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about the works of God and what we must do to be doing the works of God, namely to believe in God’s Son whom he has sent into the world. Jesus does not separate belief and activity. Here he shows us that belief and trust are works of God.

In the first reading, we hear how Stephen believed in Jesus and was a man marked by grace, which allowed him to perform great wonders and signs among people. God’s grace also enables Stephen to persevere when fellow Jews from all over the ancient world begin to oppose him. Instead of believing, they argue with Stephen. As a result, he experienced injustice as he was wrongly and unfairly accused. Stephen pays a high price to follow Jesus. Stephen’s example shows us that following Jesus means giving our everything to Him.

Jesus is always leading us beyond where we are, beyond our hunger for physical food to the ‘the food that endures for eternal life’. He reveals what this means step by step. The key task we must perform is to believe in Him as the one sent by God.

Believing is what God wants of us and is also what God works in us.  Let us be open to ‘the work of God’ in our lives.

Joanne McGrath is a parishioner of St Brigid’s Marrickville and a Passionist Companion.

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