The Gospel according to John (6:30-35)
The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
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.”
Reflection:
On one level, the request from the people to do (yet another) sign is pretty crazy. I mean, many of them were there when Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish to feed more than 5,000 people, weren’t they? It’s like they were saying “okay, that was nice, but do it again, just to make sure you really are who you say you are.”
My friends, the Irish Jesuits, suggested another reason for the seemingly unreasonable request – the members of the crowd asking for a sign were comparing Jesus giving bread to just 5,000 (or so) with Moses being the one who gave the Israelites manna for the entire nation, and not just once, but for forty years, as they wandered in the desert. So, they were asking if it was more than a “one-time thing”.
We’ll continue through this discourse in the next few days, but in the end, the people didn’t get it – but that is because what Jesus was saying was so radical – that HE (Jesus) was the true Bread, and that He would give us His very flesh to eat, and His blood to drink. I don’t think we can really truly comprehend what a shocking statement that was.
Today’s Gospel closes with one of Jesus’ “I AM” statements – “I am the bread of life.” We who profess the Catholic faith take Jesus at His Word, and receive this bread whenever we come to Mass. It’s an incredibly intimate time, but one that Jesus offers to the world, to all who believe. And, even though they did not see how Jesus answered that request for a sign, we see down through the centuries that Jesus did indeed do a sign for us who believe, and He continues to give Himself to us, sustaining us for our journey of faith that we pray leads us to the heavenly kingdom one day.
Action for the Day:
Take time today to consider the miraculous thing that happens every time we attend Mass – what looks like bread and wine become His Body and Blood and we are invited to take Him into our very selves. Do you realize what an amazing act that is for Jesus to do for each one of us? Ask Jesus to give you a deeper love for His presence in the Eucharist, and a greater desire to try to live after His example by loving those God places in our presence.
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