Opening Prayer:
+Lord, open our lips. And we shall praise your holy name.
At the Eucharist, we celebrate the memorial of your Death and Resurrection, Lord, and we offer you the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation. We give thanks that you have held us worthy to stand in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
You are the bread of life, Lord. Please give us this day our daily bread so that we might have life in You. Amen.
Reading:
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John. Glory to You, O Lord.
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.”
So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 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."
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.
Reflection:
Jesus, you are the Bread of Life, which is the bread of God from heaven. Jesus, you are the Bread of Life, which gives life to the world. When we come to you, we will never hunger. When we believe in you we will not thirst. Thank you for this food that endures for eternal life.
Jesus, when you tell us that you are the Bread of Life, you mean what you say. The Bread of Life is not a symbol. The Bread of Life is not a metaphor. The Bread of Life is a person and that person is you! You give yourself to us in the bread and wine, your Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Eucharist.
Thank you, Jesus, for giving us the Bread of Life.
Thank you, Jesus, for giving us yourself.
Closing Prayer:
Jesus, we believe that the Eucharist is your Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Thank you for calling us to join you in this feast and for the bread of God from heaven, which gives life to the world. With thankful hearts, we pray:
Our Father...
Lord, bless us, keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.+
Closing Song:
I Am The Bread Of Life
By: Suzanne Toolan, performed by the Notre Dame Folk Choir
Publisher: ©1993 GIA Publications Inc.
Lyrics:
I am the bread of life You who comes to me shall not hunger You who believes in me shall not thirst No one can come to me Unless the father beckons And I will raise you up And I will raise you up And I will raise you up On the last day. The bread that I will give Is my flesh for the life of the world And if you eat of this bread You shall live forever You shall live forever And I will raise you up And I will raise you up And I will raise you up On the last day. Unless you eat Of the flesh of the Son of Man And drink of his blood, And drink of his blood, You shall not have life within you. And I will raise you up And I will raise you up And I will raise you up On the last day. And I will raise you up And I will raise you up And I will raise you up On the last day.
