Akahi News learnt that Rev. Fr. Patrick Kunle Ajayi, a priest of the Osogbo Catholic Diocese and Chaplain and Director of the Marriage, Family and Human Life Commission, has delivered a profound reflection for Thursday of the Third Week of Easter. The cleric, who also serves as Parish Priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Pro-Cathedral Church, Ilesa, drew from Acts 8:26-40 and John 6:44-51.

His message is both humbling and uplifting: your coming to faith is not an accident. It is not the result of your cleverness or moral superiority. It is a gift—prearranged by God the Father.

When Philip encountered the Ethiopian eunuch on the road, it looked like chance. A chariot. A scroll of Isaiah. A curious seeker. But Fr. Ajayi reminds us that this encounter was orchestrated by God. The eunuch did not find Philip; God drew him to the apostle. And that same divine drawing is happening in your life today.

‘No One Can Come to Me Unless the Father Draws Him’

Akahi News gathered that the first reading clearly shows that our coming to life in Christ Jesus is purely a gift and an arrangement of God the Father. The encounter of St. Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch, through which the eunuch came to Jesus, was prearranged by God.

This, Fr. Ajayi notes, evidently confirms the words of Jesus Christ in today’s gospel: “No one can come to me unless my Father draws him” (John 6:44). That is a challenging statement for those who believe their salvation is entirely their own achievement. It is an even more comforting statement for those who fear they are too sinful to be saved.

It was alleged that through our faith, we have already become God’s gifts to be saved by Jesus—”the Living Bread that comes down from Heaven.” You are not an afterthought. You are not a mistake. You are a gift from the Father to the Son. That is your dignity. That is your identity.

Jesus’ emphasis on Himself as this living bread—turning to His flesh for the life of the world—should be a booster for our Eucharistic faith. Fr. Ajayi is not speaking in metaphors. He is speaking of the real presence. The bread is not a symbol. The wine is not a memory. It is His body. It is His blood.

The Eucharist Preserves You for Eternal Life

Both our physical Communion and spiritual adoration of the Lord in the Holy Sacrament are ways the life of Jesus flows into our body, soul, and spirit. In this way, the gift of God in us is eternally preserved from corruption and death.

Think about that. Corruption is everywhere. Bodies decay. Dreams die. Relationships fracture. But the Eucharist—the living bread—preserves. It does not preserve us from physical death. But it preserves us from eternal corruption. It safeguards the gift of God within us until the day of resurrection.

Akahi News had earlier reported on Fr. Ajayi’s consistent message throughout Eastertide: the Risen Lord is present in the Eucharist. Not as a doctrine to be studied, but as a person to be received. Not as a ritual to be endured, but as a lifeline to be embraced.

The Ethiopian eunuch went on his way rejoicing after Philip baptised him. Why? Because he had received not just information, but life. He had encountered the One whom the Father had been drawing him to all along.

It is not a child’s play to believe that a piece of bread is the Body of Christ. It defies logic. It challenges every materialistic instinct. But that is the scandal of the Eucharist. That is the mystery that has sustained martyrs, converted saints, and comforted sinners for two thousand years.

Fr. Ajayi’s reflection is an invitation to Eucharistic revival. Not occasional Communion received out of habit. But regular, reverent, hungry reception of the Lord who gives Himself as food. And beyond reception, adoration—spending time before the Blessed Sacrament, allowing the life of Jesus to flow into every fibre of your being.

BE PRESERVED AND BE SAVED BY THE EUCHARISTIC JESUS, the priest concludes. That is not a slogan. It is a promise. The same Jesus who drew Philip to the chariot of the Ethiopian is drawing you to the altar. Will you come? Will you receive? Will you be preserved?

The Father is drawing. The Son is waiting. The Eucharist is set before you. Do not let another day pass without receiving the Living Bread.

Key Summary Box

Scripture readings: Acts 8:26-40 (Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch) and John 6:44-51 (Jesus the Living Bread).
Core message: Coming to faith in Christ is not accidental; it is a gift prearranged by God the Father. Jesus confirms this: “No one can come to me unless my Father draws him.”
Eucharistic faith: Jesus as the Living Bread gives His flesh for the life of the world. Both physical Communion and spiritual adoration allow the life of Jesus to flow into our body, soul, and spirit.
The promise: Through the Eucharist, the gift of God in us is eternally preserved from corruption and death.
Why it matters to Catholics: The reflection calls believers to move beyond routine reception of Communion to a deep Eucharistic faith—believing that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ, preserving us for eternal life.
Bottom line: Your faith is not an accident. The Father is drawing you to Jesus. The Living Bread is offered. Receive Him. Be preserved. Be saved.