Fr Paul reads from John’s Gospel (6: 44-51) which in which Jesus says, ‘No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise them up at the last day’.

Fr Paul says, the Jews, who are listening to this sermon of Jesus that we have been hearing ourselves over these past days, interrupt; the atmosphere in the synagogue is much less formal than what we experience in church; everything is to be discussed and thought over.  An interruption, such as this, allows the sermon to move onto the next point and that is, how can Jesus claim to be from heaven?

The quote that we hear from the prophets in this Gospel, Fr Paul notes, is a clue to understanding this part of the sermon.  A person will no longer have to rely on the inherited religion of the People of God. A person will be individually and directly taught by God.  The wisdom that is offered is not just any old gift; it is the opening to the profound knowledge of God offered to anyone who wants it.

For our reflection, Paul says, we might ask ourselves, ‘is my heart open to God today?’