Jesus promises He will give eternal life to those who believe in Him and rebukes non-believers. Every Catholic man can grow in happiness by pursuing the Virtue of Faith so he can grow in faith and works in preparation for his own death and by seeking the Virtue of Hope so he can trust that Jesus will save him from eternal death.
Liturgy
3rd Week of Easter – Wednesday – Jn 6:35-40
Commentary
As He revealed the truth of the Eucharist in The Sermon of the Bread of Life, Jesus first corrected the crowd, making it clear that it was not Moses who provided the manna in the desert, but that God the Father was the true source of the miraculous manna. Now Jesus drops a bombshell, revealing He is the bread of life and men who believe in Him will never thirst or hunger again.
Jesus reveals that men must have faith in Him to receive eternal life. Jesus rebukes the crowd’s failure to recognize that His miraculous signs are infinitely greater than those of Moses, a highly provocative statement because Moses was highly venerated. Jesus makes even greater claims, revealing He has actually been sent by God from Heaven, knows and does God’s will, and that people must go beyond simply being impressed by Him to believing in Him, a claim which equates Him to God.
After confirming the necessity of faith in Him, Jesus makes the existence-altering promise that those who believe in Him will be raised from death to eternal life. Jesus reveals that God the Father gives some men to Him, granting faith to the willing, and that Jesus will not lose a soul God the Father has given to Him. Jesus confirms it is God the Father’s explicit will that men who wish to be saved must believe in Him, and that those who believe will be raised from the dead by Him on the Last Day. Like the Jews murmured against Moses during the Exodus over the manna, the Jews murmur against Jesus, unwilling to believe Him; authoritative and in charge, Jesus soundly rebukes their disbelief (v 41-43, omitted from today’s Liturgy).
Be awed by Jesus Christ
Be stunned by how God the Father has endowed the Son to build the Kingdom of God: Son of the Father, a Divine Person, Jesus perfectly knows the infinite Will of God the Father; Jesus, who appears to be a mere man, has Dominion and Power over everything and everyone; with Divine Knowledge, He perfectly knows who believes in Him, and has the Power to raise believers to eternal life and give them glorified bodies with supernatural powers.
Grow in Faith and Works to prepare for death
Realize: A man’s days are short and numbered, but many men deeply fear and avoid death, distracting themselves with pleasures of the world. Seeking to imitate the happy death of St. Joseph, a devout Catholic man prepares for his inevitable death by drawing close to Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary in faith and through many Works of Mercy in the time he has left.
Believe: Confront your own coming Death and its Christian Meaning (CCC 1006-1019).
Pray: Almighty Father, help me grow in the Virtue of Faith so I can have a happy death like St. Joseph by drawing closer to Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary and by doing many Works of Mercy in the time I have left.
Be firm in Hope that Christ will save you from death
Believe: Jesus promises to raise faithful Catholic men on the Last Day; this astounding truth is a cause for every Catholic man to rejoice and be filled with hope, confidence, peace, and happiness.
Believe: Review the Catechism’s teaching on How the Dead Rise in Christ (CCC 161, 997-1004).
Pray: Jesus, Resurrected Christ, help me grow in the Virtue of Hope so I have unshakable trust in You and Your promise to raise me, and my loved ones, from human death to the eternal peace and happiness of everlasting life.