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SECOND READING: Ephesians 4:1-16
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I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you
have been called,
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with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another
in love,
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making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
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There
is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
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one
Lord, one faith, one baptism,
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one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all
and in all.
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But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.
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Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he
gave gifts to his people."
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(When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he
had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?
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He who descended is the same one
who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)
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The gifts he gave
were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and
teachers,
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to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
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until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
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We must no longer be children,
tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their
craftiness in deceitful scheming.
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But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every
way into him who is the head, into Christ,
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from whom the whole body, joined and knit
together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly,
promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.
Stand
P: The holy gospel according to St. John, the 6th chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL: John 6:24-35
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When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were [beside the sea,] they
themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
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When they found
him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"
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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.
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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."
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Then they said to him, "What must we do to
perform the works of God?"
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Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you
believe in him whom he has sent."
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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?
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Our
ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heav-
en to eat.'"
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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.
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For
the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
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They
said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
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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."
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.