Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 9, 2019
Jesus said to the crowds:
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world.”
I’m a visual learner. I have to see it to believe and understand it. And often when something is explained to me I close my eyes and visualize so I can see for myself. “Turn right at the gas station.” “It’s on the top shelf above the stove.” “I am the bread of life.” Okay, got it.
But sometimes we are required to learn in ways that push us out of our comfort zones.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to listen and learn. And not just listen, but listen to the Father.
Listening is an activity that requires purposeful attention. That can be hard. I have a lot of other things I want to listen to—admittedly, neither purposefully nor attentively. I fill my ears with other noise: audiobooks and podcasts when I’m driving or out for a run; music in my headphones at work to drown out my coworkers’ arguments about the NBA Playoffs. Where is the quiet time to listen to the Father?
In my experience, I can never find the time. Rather, I make the time. And I make a habit of making time. I pray the Rosary every morning while walking my dog; I meditate twice a day to enjoy the silence and open myself to hearing the Father. These activities allow me the opportunity to be “taught by God.”
Today, I encourage us all to make the time for quiet. Maybe you can reflect on the Gospel and listen as the Father instructs you through his Word. Maybe you will cherish a few moments of silence reading FaithND over your morning coffee. Possibly, you can find stillness in a mobile, canine-accompanied Rosary. However we carve out time today, let us listen with a purpose: so that we may believe and have eternal life.
Prayer
All-powerful God, you are near to us and hear us when we pray. Enliven us with your Spirit, the fire of your love. Through our baptism we share in the life of your son, Jesus the Christ. Sustain your life within us by drawing us often to eat his body and drink his blood in the new and everlasting covenant that gives us eternal life. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Though St. Anthony the Great is credited as the father of monasticism, St. Pachomius was the first to organize Christian communities around a common rule of life.
Pachomius was born in 292 in Upper Egypt, and at the age of 20 he was conscripted to the emperor’s army. He was transported down the Nile river with other recruits for training, and they traveled in terrible conditions. When they stopped at a small river town during their journey, Christians there showed them great kindness. Their charity deeply touched Pachomius.
As soon as he was able to leave the army, he made his way to a Christian church and began learning the faith as a catechumen. He was baptized and dedicated himself to finding every possible way to cooperate with the new grace he had received.
He learned of a hermit living in the desert, and he sought him out and asked to follow him. Pachomius promised the man obedience and they lived under great discipline and austerity—they ate only bread and salt, and practiced praying through the night.
Pachomius heard a call to establish a new monastery in a nearby region, and had a vision of an angel who instructed him on how to organize it. In 318, he constructed a small cell there and began his work.
The first to join him there was his brother, John, and others followed. Soon more than 100 lived together. He led them mainly by example, but allowed everyone to participate in their pursuit of holiness according to their ability.
The movement grew, and he eventually founded eight other monasteries, including one for women, which included his sister. Even in the face of false accusations, he displayed heroic humility and patience, and was known for miraculous healings.
Pachomius died in 348 of a disease that killed a number of other monks. At the time of his death, some 3,000 monks were living in his monasteries. His rule of life greatly influenced St. Benedict, who formed the trunk from which most branches of monasticism grew in the west.
St. Pachomius, you pioneered a path towards holiness through the practice of community, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Pachomius is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Last accessed March 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
