Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another.
Ephesians 4:32
May I be aware that you are carrying unknown burdens. May I choose kind attitudes, words, and behaviors in your presence. May I feed you with God’s love and faithfulness.
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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.”
John 6:35
Today I will be fed by reading Scripture, taking time to be still, and knowing God is always with me.
I will feed others by being kind, listening attentively, and being respectful of their needs and hopes.
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James Tissot (1836-1902)
The Calling of Saint Peter and Saint Andrew
gouache over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum
Jesus said to his disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15
Peter has spent long hours and many months with Jesus. He has come to know the compassion of God manifested in every word and touch of Jesus.
This is the key to the Kingdom of God: knowing God’s love in my heart and letting it overflow to all people with words and actions that reveal kindness, gentleness, respect, encouragement, justice, and healing.
As I unwrap God’s gift of life today, may I remember to thank the One who gave it to me.
[Jesus said to the crowds:] “I have life because of the Father.” John 6:57b
James Tissot (1836-1902)
La multiplicité des pains, between 1886 and 1894
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
Brooklyn Museum
The Word of God teaches me to be bread for those who are hungry for kindness, encouragement, compassion, and love.
The Word of God teaches me to eat the bread of forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, and nonviolence.
The Word of God teaches me that the Lord is the bread that gives me the nourishment to love my neighbor as myself, welcome strangers, feed the hungry, and visit the sick.
[Jesus said:] “It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God.” John 6:45a
James Tissot (1836-1902)
Jésus enseigne le peuple près de la mer
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum
Our need for signs from the Lord speaks of our very human desire to be reassured that God is near and paying attention to us—that God cares. It speaks of our need to be fed with the bread of hope, of compassion, of unconditional love. It speaks of our thirst for conscious contact with the Lord.
Does God care? A wise friend told me: “Of course. That’s why Jesus came here.”
So [the crowd] said to Jesus, “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.” John 6:30-31
Mary Ann McSweeny 