Bible Study: Acts 7, 51 to 8, 1 and John
6, 30 to 35.
Very many years ago, the great Saint Augustine summed up the
nature of the human heart perfectly when he said: “O Lord, thou hast made us for
thyself and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.” If we were to
be truly honest with ourselves, there is nothing material on earth that we
crave for that truly satisfies us. We are always going to be looking for more
and more and the more we get, the more we feel empty.
Today, Jesus confirms the words of St. Augustine and goes on to
give us the secret of true inner satisfaction and contentment when he said: “I
am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever
believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6, 35. Song: “You take the whole
world, and give me Jesus, you take the whole world, and give me Jesus, you take
the whole world and give me Jesus… I’m satisfied, I’m satisfied!”
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in
me will never be thirsty. The question is not whether or not we desire for
things, the question is whether or not we have found Jesus! It is sad to say
but true anyway that at the bottom of all our endless cravings for material
possessions and the lust of the eyes is the cry of the heart for Jesus. And because
we do not know that it is Jesus we need, we end up trying to numb our hearts by
stuffing it with so many possessions and things it doesn’t need.
During his encounter with the Samaritan woman in John, chapter 4,
Jesus made this point when he noted that the water she had come to draw was one
which could only quench our thirst for just a little while but he alone can
give us the type of water which turns into the spring right inside our hearts,
a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. It is funny how we keep praying
to God for things that don’t last like these people who were looking for Jesus
to feed them again with loaves when in fact, God has something better for us, something
far more precious than physical loaves.
If you succeed in finding Jesus, if you make him your best
friend, if you develop a love relationship with him and walk in his light,
there is this peace that you experience deep inside of you such that you are
not disturbed by the lack or presence of material wealth. In fact, if you truly
have Jesus in you, losing your very life isn’t much of a big deal to you. Like
Stephen about whom we read of in our first reading this morning, you are not
keen about protecting your life or moved with fear of dying. As he was stoned
to death, Stephen was still able to pray: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, come into my heart that I may experience the peace
which only you can give. Amen.
God bless you. Good morning. Be
Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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