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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

Jesus, help me be grateful to hear my parents' old stories! Amen.

"I am the living bread from heaven," Jesus told a crowd. "Whoever eats this bread will live forever. Just as my father sent me and gave me life, anyone who feeds on me will live."

Parents repeat themselves a lot. You probably get in trouble sometimes for rolling your eyes when your dad tells the same old story again about how his father spanked him and you're lucky he doesn't spank you!

Of course, your parents might repeat themselves because they forget how many times they've told you the same thing, or on purpose, because they're trying to make sure you remember it.

Even Jesus repeated Himself - for instance, in this week's Gospel (John 6:51-58), when He said over and over that He is the "bread of life."

Like your parents, Jesus changed the way He told His story a little as He repeated Himself. He said He's the "living bread from heaven." He reminded people that, just like the Jewish people who got lost in the desert thousands of years ago ate "manna" or bread God sent from heaven, Jesus is bread that gives life, too.

When your dad retells the story about not spanking you, he's probably pointing out in his own way how much he loves you. So was Jesus: When He said people needed to eat and drink His body and blood to live forever, He was preparing them for the Last Supper, when He passed bread and wine around to the Apostles and said, "Do this in memory of me." That was their First Communion!

Something you hear over and over again gets stuck in your brain forever. Your parents want you to know they love you. Jesus wanted people to remember how important the Eucharist is - that it's a way of showing our love for God, so someday, we can all live forever in heaven with Jesus, like He promised![[In-content Ad]]

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