Monday of the Third Week of Easter
The people in today’s Gospel who had benefited from Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves wanted to find and follow him. Bring his first disciples, his dialogue with them is interesting. “You are looking for me… because you ate the loaves and were filled,” he says. And then, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
Is there a lesson here for me? What is the primary reason for my prayer of petition? Ultimately, is it to seek some favor or is it to seek the one who grants the favor, our Heavenly Father? Asking for favors that will perish is good, “Give us this day our daily bread,” but what is better is asking for the knowledge and love to know and do “the works of God.”
The people ended their conversation with a question: “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” And Jesus answered: “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
Resolve: Before every prayer, I get into the habit of asking the Holy Spirit to fill me with the desire of know Jesus better so that I can love him more and be able enable to express that love in dealing withhis and my brothers and sisters. Finally, on this cinco de mayo I shall pray, through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, that the Lord will bless all our Mexican brothers and sisters in a special way.