I Am The Bread Of Life

Dear Parishioners,

This week we continue reflecting on the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. As you recall at the end of last week’s passage, Jesus realized some would try to make him king so he withdrew from the crowd. In the passage we hear today, the crowds track down Jesus and the disciples. Jesus, knowing that so many were preoccupied with merely earthly matters, went straight to the point and challenged the people:

     -- Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. --

Note that in his Gospel, John always emphasizes that sign value of the miracles Jesus works. For John, each of these mighty and loving deeds of the Lord points to a deeper reality, to a deeper blessing and purpose and meaning than the simple fact of the miracle itself – as wonderous as they were. Jesus realized that the crowd was missing the sign, was missing the fact that his primary mission is to nourish our spirits, to fulfill those deeper needs that transcend our bodily reality. The dialogue between Jesus and the crowd continues with a reference to the miracle of Moses in providing the food of manna during the time the Chosen People wandered in the desert. The people wanted Jesus to replicate this gift and to care for their physical hunger. Jesus again strove to shift their focus from physical to spiritual hunger, to help them see that manna was also a sign that merited deeper reflection. Rather than manna for our stomachs, Jesus indicated that the true “bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” This is the much greater gift he intends to provide.

When the people urged, “Give us this bread always” the response of Jesus surprised and stunned them. His reply opened up a whole new and deeper level of being for them as he proclaimed:

     -- I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. [my emphasis]

Jesus is the food God provides for our famished spirits. He is the nourishment that brings us the fullness of life. As we see later in John’s Gospel, Jesus reveals to us that he is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). Our Catholic faith is first and foremost about union with Jesus, about developing friendship with him, about recognizing that he is our Brother and Lord, our Savior and Friend. Our Catholic faith centers on the truth that God created us and loves us and manifests this Divine Love most powerfully in Christ’s death and resurrection. Our Catholic faith, then, is not a matter of pope and bishops – as graced that we are that Jesus provides us this leadership from the successors to the apostles. Our Catholic faith is not primarily about our moral teachings, as important as they are in keeping us on the right track. Our Catholic faith is about communion – “union with” Jesus, and through with and in Him with the Father and Spirit. All the rest flows from this primal source of life and love. In the coming two weeks, the gospel will explore more fully this amazing reality.

Let me add a brief note about the horrible parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. We are right to feel revulsion at this mockery of the Eucharist. Jesus did warn us that following him will at times involve ridicule and persecution, so we need not be surprised. Jesus asked that we pray for our persecutors (Matthew 5:43-48). Let us take his counsel to heart and pray for those who engage in mockery of the sacred. Even if they do not come to share our belief, may they come to respect for the beliefs of others.

Jesus, Bread of Life, nourish our spirits. Holy Mary, dearest Mother, pray for us that we may always appreciate your Son as the way, the truth and the fullness of life.

​Father Craig