A deeper understanding of the word of God opens our hearts to receive Jesus properly in the Eucharist. In today’s gospel, Jesus makes it clear that no one comes to him unless the Father draws them. We see this action in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who, guided by the Holy Spirit, encounters Christ and prays to be baptized immediately. The eunuch humbly sought to understand the scriptures to heal his ignorance, and God, the great teacher, enlightened him through Philip. Unfortunately, many Christians today use the scriptures wrongly and deceptively for various personal reasons while claiming the direction of the Holy Spirit. Some impose preconceived ideas on the scriptures, merely memorizing verses instead of humbly listening to the Spirit through God’s Church. God is the ultimate teacher who alone can open our eyes to the truth of his word revealed in Christ Jesus and preserved by the Church’s magisterium. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to tutor us so that we may encounter Christ sublimely in his word and the Eucharist.

PRAYER: Lord, let my heart be open to your words to encounter you as the resurrected Christ. Amen.