"The man who feeds on this Bread shall live forever."

        
Liturgical readings


Proverbs 9:1-6
Psalm 34
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58

"The man who feeds on this Bread shall live forever."


At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, He called the people to believe in the gospel and reform their lives. His promise of eternal life has a condition: we believe in His word, reform our lives and follow Him. The work of reforming our lives and amending it, according to Christian values, also needs food. This is why Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is here that we receive God's Word, and the Bread that nourishes our soul. It is the Word of God in the Mass and the Sacrament of the Eucharist that lightens up our path to God once more, so that our steps are clearly directed toward living the Christian life where we live and work.


The Word and the Bread in the Eucharist gives that strength and quality of faith need to make life truly worth living. For in the spiritual journey, this faith can get tested and tried with so many situations our human condition can give. Maybe one's faith may not be tested and tried as great as that of biblical character Job, but it can nevertheless feel like being "crushed to the ground". Even with such experiences, we always have access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Despite the struggles we all have to go through, Jesus in the Word and the Sacraments, in the priest and our community, is always there for us. It is us who oftentimes sometimes forget that these resources are always there for us. We only need to take that effort to go to Confession and to go to Mass regularly again.


Life is fleeting. And times flies fast. Those who experienced death in its many forms and had time to reflect on the One thing necessary are fortunate. When the days of adversity arrive again, they know the best Person to run to: Jesus in His Presence in the Sacraments and in the Catholic community. We only have to look to the example of Christ. Though He was God, his humanity had to undergo the pain of the Cross and the mortality humanity has to experience: death. But He showed us the way of faith in God. And because of His faith and obedience, the Father brought Him back to life through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is this quality of faith that we are called to have. We can have this same quality of faith if we remember to be humble, call to God in prayer and in the Mass, and do something about our situation in life. The Bread that we receive in the Mass gives us that faith to "live forever" in God.

They shall all be taught by God

Liturgical readings


1 Kings 19:4-8
Psalm 34
Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2
John 6:41-51

"They shall all be taught by God."


Jesus made a claim before His own people, saying: "I am the bread that came down from heaven." But the people doubted this teaching because they knew that Jesus was the son of Joseph. Their doubts made them murmur. What did the Lord do with their reaction? He led them to understand the teaching in the context of His relationship with the Father. Jesus wanted the people to discern and discover His divinity - hidden in His humanity. Yes, He was the son of Joseph, but there was more to just that. The people only understood God as the One who fed their ancestors with manna from heaven. They were not aware of the possibility that this God, who gave their ancestors manna in the desert, can be incarnated in human flesh. God can 'come down from heaven' in Jesus and be 'bread' for them. Bread that comforts and gives life.


It has been two millenia since the time of Jesus (ca. 33 A.D.). Catholics today are very privileged to be spared from the doubts and confusion which the people in biblical times experienced. We can understand the gospel now from the Church's definition of the mystery of the Incarnation and the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Today is a call to be grateful for all those who have gone before us - especially the early Church Fathers and the doctors of the Church. These ancestors of our faith have literally suffered to give succeeding generations, and our own generation a clearer and better understanding of the mystery and Person of Jesus. For this great gift, we have the responsibility to help others also see how God in Jesus is truly the Bread of Life that came down from heaven: Bread that nourishes our souls with the faith, hope and love that will see us through the vicissitudes of life.


God has given us many gifts, many blessings. He has given us the gift of freedom and the treasure of time. When we use these treasures not only for producing perishable food, but also for the Bread and Life that matters, then we can help make Christ's presence and the hope He gives come alive in our homes and our work. The key to our Christian life is found in the words of Jesus Himself: "No one can come to Him unless the Father draws him." Jesus' present in the Scriptures, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and in our Christian communities, draws us to the truth about God and His love for us. It is this truth of God's love that gives our lives direction and meaning. It is this truth that gives us our identity before others who do not know Christ. It is this truth that integrates everything in our life as a people called to be one family in God.

"Work for food that remains unto life eternal."

Liturgical readings

Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Psalm 78
Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
John 6:24-35

"Work for food that remains unto life eternal."

Those who benefitted from the miraculous feeding of Jesus went forth and followed Him. They may have wished to see another miracle and benefit again. They did not understand what the miracle meant, who Jesus is, and what His prophetic mission meant. Jesus then pointed out to them what was important. He elevated their understanding from the level of physical needs, to a level that was more important: "to work for food that remains unto life eternal." The crowds had difficulty understanding because they associate the miracle of Jesus with the miracle Yahweh had performed for their ancestors in the desert (the manna from heaven). It from this old understanding that Jesus redirected their faith to believe in Him now as the Bread of Life that comes down from heaven - their new Source of Life.


In life and work, many of us sometimes lose sight of what God wants us to understand. Like the people who were fed from Jesus' feeding miracle, we may set our focus on the food we work for, rather than look to the Source of that food. In this context of understanding, whenever food becomes difficult, like during calamities or economic difficulties, it help us greatly if we go back to the spiritual discipline needed to manage such a situation. Discipline helps us not to get lost in a time of adversity. Discipline in the spiritual life redirects our focus on what truly matters: the One thing necessary. If we ground ourselves in this truth, we obtain that strength of hope necessary to help us overcome any adversity. And once we overcome every trial and test of faith, our lives begin to be reordered to the Life that always matters: love of God, others and self, in the very context of our respective states of life.


This love has its source in the framework of the Church's teaching of Jesus as the Bread of Life. It anchors our souls well in a hope that will never disappoint. If we practice the discipline of beginning and ending each day of work with prayer (or a weekday Mass), it will help us understand the deeper purpose of our life and work. This has been a practice of the Church since ancient times. The following prayer from St. Ephraem (ca. 306-373 A.D.) reflects on what it means to "work for food that remains unto life eternal":


"The beginning of the sun's passage through the sky marks the beginning of the working day for us mortals: we ask You, Lord, to prepare in our minds a place where the day that knows no end may give its light. Grant that we may have within us this light, the Life of the resurrection, and that nothing may take away our delight in You."