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‘Christ, the Bread of Life’
This is the first of several Sunday Gospels where we contemplate Jesus’s teaching on the bread of life. It follows last week’s account of the feeding of the five thousand.

‘His hands were as earth beneath the bread and his voice was as thunder above it’ 
St Ephrem the Syrian (d. 373)

The readings this week offer a welcome invitation to spend more time with our loving Lord who is our shepherd, and in whom we find nourishment, shelter, and peace for our minds and bodies.

“Show yourself a father, and guide us in the path of life”

On 8 December 20202, Pope Francis published an Apostolic Letter “Patris corde (With a Father’s Heart)”, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father has proclaimed a “Year of St Joseph”, running from December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021.

This week’s readings tell of people who receive a mission. It has always been God’s plan from the beginning to choose ordinary people like us to help spread the Good News. Jesus asks us to listen, and really come to know him. All we need do is trust him, and we will be blessed with all we need to follow his way.

Today’s readings provide us with valuable lessons in discipleship and humble faith. The calling of Ezekiel and Paul brings them into challenging situations. But they draw strength and endurance from their relationship with God, as does Jesus himself from the Father.

‘Do not be afraid; only have faith!’

Central to today’s readings is God the giver of life. We are encouraged to have faith in the Lord and in the life that God brings – not just here on earth, but also in heaven. The passage from the Book of Wisdom in the First Reading, reminds us that God creates all things to have life, and to live that life well, resisting the temptations the evil one will bring.

“Christ is with us at every moment of our lives”
This week’s readings reveal a God with power. As God’s creatures, the forces of nature listen to and obey the voice of their Creator. Though the storms of fear and doubt may have played more significant roles in our lives during this past year, God’s love continues to speak to us with words of calm, as it did to Job.

This Sunday, the Old Testament reading, Psalm and Gospel alike all use simple and beautiful images from nature to teach us eternal truths. It is as if we are being encouraged to both see and draw from the wisdom of God as expressed throughout the natural world.

On this feast of Corpus Christi we give thanks for who we are, and all that God has done for us. Today’s readings show how God’s plan moves towards a new covenant of love through Christ.

We have now just emerged from Eastertide – since last Sunday we celebrated the feast of Pentecost. Today’s feast of the Most Holy Trinity seems to enclose the Paschal season and the whole liturgical year in our cel-ebration of the central mystery of our faith.

Today we celebrate the great day of Pentecost, when Christ filled the Church with the power of his Spirit and sent his followers out into the world to bring his peace, joy and mercy to all.

I come to pray the texts for the feast of the Ascension and ask the Lord for a deeper understanding of this mystery of Christ. Throughout the Eastertide readings, we have watched the disciples grow and mature in faith – I wish to do the same.