“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.” (JN 6: 44)

We were chosen, we were selected and prepared for our missions. Our Lord knows us perfectly, and only He can lead us to the full picture: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him.” Whenever we are in doubt about what to do or where to go, we should ask Him. He doesn’t play hide & seek with us; He will always let us know what to do because He loves us and wants all the best for us.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.” (JN 6: 36-40)

Our Lord was sent by His Father to save us and to redeem us. Whatever Jesus did was firstly—to honor His Father and secondly—to complete the mission, which was given to Him. The Eucharist is the summary of it: the most intimate dialog between Our Lord and His Father and the mystery of our redemption. We are invited to Mass not as observers but as children, and as a children we are loved—with all our limits, conditions, sins and weaknesses: “I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

“Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day, says the Lord.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.’” (JN 6: 35)

All of us have “hungers and thirsts.” We have a hunger for love, for relationship, for respect; we have a thirst for kindness, for understanding, for intimacy. It is so important to whom we bring our hungers and thirsts. When we expect answers from others, we will be frustrated; how often we pay a huge price for this—humiliation or rejection. When we bring it to Our Lord, He will answer all our needs: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” He is Our God, who loves us unconditionally.

“I am the bread of life, says the Lord; whoever comes to me will never hunger.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” (JN 6: 26-27)

Holy Communion is not food for our bodies but is food for our souls, “the food that endures for eternal life.” It helps us grow in our relationship with Our Lord and with our brothers and sisters and is the beginning of “eternal life.” When we, as often as possible, receive Holy Communion, it helps us also to keep away from sin, fight against temptations and see our brothers’ and sisters’ needs. We anticipate eternal life. 

“One does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.” (ACTS 3: 15)

We celebrate the Good News: “God raised Our Lord from the dead.” “The author of life,” even He was “put to death,” is living—“of this we are witnesses.” We are witnesses in our daily lives and in our professions, in our homes and in our clinics or offices, in front of our spouses and children or our patients or clients. This is an amazing honor to be witnesses of the Author of life. 

“Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us make our hearts burn while you speak to us.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” (ACTS 6: 7) 

It is not only about “a large group of priests” but also about us—all of us should be “obedient to the faith.” It is crucial for our relationship with Our Lord. He leads us to Heaven and teaches us how to love each other; without “obedience to the faith” how can we grow? 

“Christ is risen, who made all things; he has shown mercy on all people.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.” (ACTS 5: 42) 

“Teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus” is not only the Apostles responsibility but also our own. Our Lord is the only answer to all our most important questions, and we need to use any occasion to teach and proclaim Him. “The temple and our homes” are not in opposition but in unity—love for Our Lord penetrates everything. 

“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” (ACTS 5: 29-32) 

“The God of our ancestors raised Jesus . . . to grant . . . repentance and forgiveness of sins.” This is what we celebrate, especially during Easter—the gift of forgiveness of sins. With every confession we acknowledge Our Lord, “as leader and savior,” Who gave us a new life. 

“You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, ‘Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.’” (ACTS 5: 19-20) 

The same rule is for our days: “Tell the people everything about this life.” Our Programs are focused on marriage and family life. We recognize this mission as a special gift from the Holy Family. We do whatever we can to explain the beauty of the vocation to marriage and the importance of understanding “everything about this life.” 

“God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.” (ACTS 4: 32) 

This is our goal: to be “of one heart and mind.” We know how important it is for children that their parents are united and that they are “of one heart and mind.” The same is with any kind of society—firm or foundation, local government or sports club. When we take care of the common good, instead of looking for compromise, we can reach our full potential as a “community of believers.” 

“The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (Gospel Acclamation)