Introduction
This Rosary reflection contains the selected sayings of Jesus, excerpted from the Bread of Life discourse found in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John.
The Gospel Account
This conversation with Jewish leaders contrasts how God will feed God’s people with Jesus, as compared to the manna that God provided the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt.
The full account of the Gospel passage behind the “Jesus the Bread of Life” Rosary Reflection may be found in John 6:35-57.
The Five Decades
When you pray the five decades of this Rosary Reflection, use these five moments from Mary’s prayer in the Gospel. Read the Gospel verses for each decade and let the words sink in as you pray that decade.
First Decade: Never Hungry or Thirsty (John 6:35)
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.”
Second Decade: Living Bread from Heaven (John 6:48-51)
“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that come down from heaven; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the lift of the world.”
Third Decade: Eternal Life and Raised on the Last Day (John 6:53-54)
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of his blood, you shall not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Fourth Decade: Remaining in Jesus (John 6:55-56)
“For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”
Fifth Decade: Life Because of Jesus (John 6:57)
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.”
What to Remember
These Gospel verses reflects humanity’s need to live not by bread alone, but by every word spoken by God. Jesus is the Word of God, whose body and blood became the true food for our lives.
As a follower of Jesus, and a child of God, you have the privilege to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus when you receive the Eucharist. Jesus is fully present in the Blessed Sacrament. You can participate in Eucharistic Adoration, and pray this rosary with Mary’s prayers to receive her Son’s presence.
What to Pray For
- For the grace to receive the Eucharist at every Sunday Mass.
- For those practicing Eucharistic Adoration to experience the love, joy, and peace that God has for them.
- For those who have never experienced Jesus’ Body and Blood, that they may dine at God’s banquet table on earth and in heaven.
- For all who hunger and thirst for God.
Feel free to pray the rosary using these Scripture verses for a deeper faith and experience of Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist and Blessed Sacrament.
When This Gospel Appears
John’s Gospel account of the Bread of Life Discourse may be found on the 19th and 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time , in Cycle B of the Lectionary. The latest appearance was August 1st and 8th, 2021.
* Scripture passages are from the United Conference of Catholic Bishops website, https://usccb.org/bible
