Gospel Reflection For The 18th day of April in the year of Our Lord, 2024
Gospel
John 6:44-51
44 No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him; and I will raise him up in the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets: And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard of the Father, and hath learned, cometh to me.
46 Not that any man hath seen the Father; but he who is of God, he hath seen the Father. 47 Amen, amen I say unto you: He that believeth in me, hath everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven; that if any man eat of it, he may not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
This is a hard teaching. It has to do with the Biblical concept of “predestination.” Although God creates and loves each of us, not all have as much opportunity and the nature for holiness. This was especially true during pre-Christian times. The Jews were the chosen people. God picked them out of all the tribes of humanity and revealed Himself to them. Surely, this was unfair… especially since the Old Testament reveals them to be so often unfaithful. In the time of our Lord’s earthy life, it was still true that even to those to whom He preached, who saw His miracles, some were open to belief in Him and some were not. Why? Well, in many regards our family and upbringing does shape our beliefs. 2,000+ years ago the Jews were uniquely disposed to recognize and accept the Messiah, even though many would not. Over the following centuries, one who is born into a Christian home and raised in the faith has everything, as it were, given to him on a silver plate… especially if he is raised Catholic.
Perhaps that does seem to be unfair. But, we are the products of our ancestors. Just as the sins of the father affect his children, so may his faith. Our ancestors who believed and raised Christian families left us an incredible legacy. Many even died for their faith. We owe more than we can imagine to those Christian generations and all of those martyrs who gave us the gift of the faith. Yes, we are predestined. God has called us. He specifically called you and me through the generations who came before and prepared us for this moment with every advantage possible. As Jesus said, prior generations longed to see His day. We live in it!
Be sure not to take for granted all who have come before, whose work, struggle and sacrifice have made Christianity so easy for us that we may take it for granted. Even now, there are millions in China and the Middle East who risk death just to read a Bible. Or, think of Saint Kolbe, who ministered to his fellow prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp, and volunteered to be killed in place of one. Going to Holy Mass is the greatest privilege there is, and what all those generations longed for. But, it is so easy to find a reason to miss mass. If we could but see, even once, the Truth… that would change EVERYTHING! We should also consider the legacy we leave for future generations.
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January-June, 2024. It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPD1DC7Q
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His new podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic