Wednesday April 26, 2023

“If we believe in Jesus but still feel dissatisfied, it’s because we don’t entirely believe that he is fully caring for us. “

Good News Reflection for:

Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
April 26, 2023

Today’s Prayer:

Beloved Lord Jesus: You know me deep inside my soul. Thank You for loving me, knowing that I’ll fall many times and I won’t respond to You. In You, Lord, I will arise. Amen.

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Today’s Readings:

Acts 8:1b-8
Ps 66:1-7a
John 6:35-40
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042623.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-april-26-2023

Satisfying our hungers

What are you hungry for? What are your appetites?

One day as I sat down at my computer to prepare one of these daily Good News Reflections, I brought with me a cup of yogurt, and it made my birds hungry. I had an old parakeet, which squatted wearily next to my keyboard, and a parrot that perched on top of his cage in the window keeping one eye on the beautiful outdoors and one eye on me. When they realized that I was eating, these well-fed pets suddenly thought they were very hungry. The little guy found energy and the big one turned on his charm by calling my name. Of course I gave them what they wanted.

This is how it is with Jesus. As he says in today’s Gospel, when we realize we’re hungry for the good things of the Lord, he gives them to us. Think of a hardship that you’re enduring. How do you feel when you see others receive help from their faith? Don’t you get hungry for the same benefits? This kind of hunger produces a surge of new energy that turns our hearts toward Jesus, and we ask him to give us what we need. Even if we’ve already done this a hundred times and we’re still waiting for help, the faith of others inspires us to give our hunger to Jesus again.

He won’t ever starve us! He cares about us. He cares about you, much more than I care about my well-fed birds!

Hunger and thirst for Jesus are triggered by all sorts of experiences: lack of good health, lack of human companionship, lack of attention, lack of time to do everything we want to do, and so on. Jesus never rejects us when we call out to him in our hungers and our lacks. Read again what he says in this passage from John.

If we believe in Jesus but still feel dissatisfied or empty or hungry for more, it’s because we don’t entirely believe that he is fully with us, fully caring for us. Any on-going hunger is an indication that we need to spend more time learning who Jesus really is and more time resting in a state of prayer meditating on his love.

Hungers that are not converted into energy that turns our hearts toward Jesus become addictions to alcohol or drugs or overeating or shopping or work or immoral relationships. Those who hunger to get their needs met without Jesus are never satisfied, so they continually seek more, and more, and more. Hopefully, when they become desperately hungry enough and all else has failed them, they will finally turn to Jesus with their whole heart and receive the nourishment that satisfies and heals.

What would it take for you to open up to the fullness of what Jesus wants to give you? Every hunger is another opportunity to experience him. Daily, we’re invited to receive this Bread of Life. And daily we’re called to let others see Jesus satisfying our hungers, so that they, too, will turn to him.

Reflect more on this subject with our video, “The Promise of Victory for Your Lost Ones” @ https://gnm-media.org/victory-for-your-lost-loved-ones/.

© 2023 by Terry A. Modica

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