17 April 2024 - Only By Grace Reflections

#OnlyByGraceReflections #CFC #CouplesforChrist

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TOPIC: IS YOUR HUNGER FOR GOD GREATER THAN ANYTHING ELSE?

First Reading: Acts 8: 1b-8
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 66: 1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a
Alleluia: John 6: 40
Gospel: John 6: 35-40

Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” This is a beautiful and important piece of the Gospel and worth repeating every time. Clearly Jesus is not talking about our physical hunger and thirst but a kind of deep longing that only God can fill.

King David experienced this same thirst and wrote about it in Psalm 42: 2-3a; “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. My being thirsts for God, the living God.” Saint Augustine voiced out this desire for God in a similar manner: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Saint Teresa of Avila wrote in Interior Castle where to find the Lord; “God dwells within you, within every cell of your being. Seek Him there, in the depths of your own heart.”

The hunger and the thirst end when we come to Jesus and believe in Him.

This is the 1451st installment of our CFC contemplation series focusing on the daily liturgical readings.

[NOTE: As we continue to pray for Bro Bong Arjonillo’s healing and recovery, let us listen to our brother Raymond Bucu, South Asia Regional Coordinator and Provincial Area Head of Bataan, as he brings us today's reflection.

All the regular reflections are between 3-7 minutes long, enough time for us to ponder what God's message is for us individually and to pray that we may live them out in our lives. This video is also available on Couples for Christ’s Facebook page. In You Tube, just type ONLY BY GRACE REFLECTIONS]