A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

The Temple authorities started to murmur in protest because Jesus claimed, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They kept saying, “Is this not Jesus, begot of Mary and Joseph? Do we not know his mother and father? How can he claim to have come down from heaven?”

“Stop your murmuring,” Jesus told them. “No one can come to me unless Abba God who sent me draws them; I will raise them up on the last day. It is written in the prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard God’s word and learned from it comes to me.

Not that anyone has seen God – only the One who is from God has seen God. I solemnly assure you, those who believe have eternal life.

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, and if you eat it you will never die. I myself am the living bread come down from heaven.

If anyone eats this bread, they will live forever, the bread I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

The Good News as spoken through John.