First Reading

Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 (JB)

A reading from the book of Exodus

I will rain bread from heaven upon you.

The whole community of the sons of Israel began to complain against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness and said to them, ‘Why did we not die at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we were able to sit down to pans of meat and could eat bread to our heart’s content! As it is, you have brought us to this wilderness to starve this whole company to death!’

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now I will rain down bread for you from the heavens. Each day the people are to go out and gather the day’s portion; I propose to test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not.’

‘I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel. Say this to them, “Between the two evenings you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have bread to your heart’s content. Then you will learn that I, the Lord, am your God.”‘ And so it came about: quails flew up in the evening, and they covered the camp; in the morning there was a coating of dew all round the camp. When the coating of dew lifted, there on the surface of the desert was a thing delicate, powdery, as fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When they saw this, the sons of Israel said to one another, ‘What is that?’ not knowing what it was. ‘That’ said Moses to them ‘is the bread the Lord gives you to eat.’

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 (NRSV)

A reading from the book of Exodus

The whole congregation of the Israelites

complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

The Israelites said to them,

“if only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt,

when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread;

for you have brought us out into this wilderness

to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Then the Lord said to Moses,

“I am going to rain bread from heaven for you,

and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day.

In that way I will test them,

whether they will follow my instruction or not.

“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites;

say to them,

‘At twilight you shall eat meat,

and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread;

then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.'”

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp;

and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

When the layer of dew lifted,

there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance,

as fine as frost on the ground.

When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another;

“What is it?”

For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them,

“It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 77:3-4, 23-25, 54 (JB)

R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

The things we have heard and understood,

the things our fathers have told us,

we will tell to the next generation:

the glories of the Lord and his might. R.

He commanded the clouds above

and opened the gates of heaven.

He rained down manna for their food,

and gave them bread from heaven. R.

Mere men ate the bread of angels.

He sent them abundance of food.

He brought them to his holy land,

to the mountain which his right hand had won. R.

Second Reading

Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 (JB)

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians

Put on the new person that has been created in God’s image.

I want to urge you in the name of the Lord, not to go on living the aimless kind of life that pagans live. Now that is hardly the way you have learnt from Christ, unless you failed to hear him properly when you were taught what the truth is in Jesus. You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires. Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 (NRSV)

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians

Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord:

you must no longer live as the Gentiles live,

in the futility of their minds.

That is not the way you learned Christ!

For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him,

as truth is in Jesus.

You were taught to put away your former way of life,

your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts,

and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

and to clothe yourselves with the new self,

created according to the likeness of God

in true righteousness and holiness.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 4:4 (JB)

Alleluia, alleluia!

No one lives on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Alleluia!

Matthew 4:4 (NRSV)

Alleluia, alleluia!

No one lives on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 6:24-35 (JB)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry; whoever believes in me will never thirst.

When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus. When they found him on the other side, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

you are not looking for me

because you have seen the signs

but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat.

Do not work for food that cannot last,

but work for food that endures to eternal life,

the kind of food the Son of Man is offering you,

for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.’

Then they said to him, ‘What must we do if we are to do the works that God wants?’ Jesus gave them this answer, ‘This is working for God: you must believe in the one he has sent.’ So they said, ‘What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’

Jesus answered:

‘I tell you solemnly,

it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven,

it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven,

the true bread;

for the bread of God

is that which comes down from heaven

and gives life to the world.’

‘Sir,’ they said ‘give us that bread always.’ Jesus answered:

‘I am the bread of life.

He who comes to me will never be hungry;

he who believes in me will never thirst.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 6:24-35 (NRSV)

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples

were at the place where Jesus had given the bread,

they themselves got into the boats

and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea,

they said to him,

“Rabbi, when did you come here?”

Jesus answered them,

“Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me,

not because you saw signs,

but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

Do not work for the food that perishes,

but for the food that endures for eternal life,

which the Son of Man will give you.

For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”

Then they said to Jesus,

“What must we do to perform the works of God?”

Jesus answered them,

“This is the work of God,

that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

So they said to him,

“What sign are you going to give us then,

so that we may see it and believe you?

What work are you performing?

Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness;

as it is written,

‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'”

Then Jesus said to them,

“Very truly, I tell you,

it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven,

but it is my Father who 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.”

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 be hungry,

and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.