Eph 4:17, 20-24;
John 6:24-35
Christ– the Bread Life!
The readings of these past Sundays centered on Christ feeding the multitude. Today, in the Book of Exodus, Ephesians and in John 6:24-35, our Lord, who is yesterday, today and forever, is not backing down. He speaks to us again, physically and spiritually, and perhaps in symbols familiar to us. He is the bread of life–the source of new life, the giver of love and everything we need– spiritually and materially: peace, good health, jobs, vocations, clothing, housing, family life, – name them! He is our “Bread winner.” History proves this, as well.
In the first reading, when the Israelites journeyed through the desert and were physically hungry, tired, discouraged, disillusioned, tempted, shaken in faith– they complained against Moses; “would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt….but you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!”. This is human. This is who we are– easily shaken in our faith traditions, tired and thirsty on our life journeys, deserted of the teachings of the Church, short memory, fail to see through beyond our narrow eye glasses, and short cuts; prone to complaint,
criticize others so easily and speak ills about others, our parents, teachers, and leaders!
But notice who the Lord is–compassionate, resolute in loving us, merciful, works with and through Moses, rises above human thinking. He is divine and spiritual, and deploys us, our superiors, teachers, priests, bishops as his instruments. He responded divinely and heavenly, in the 1st reading. The Lord provides the complaining– Israel with food, manna, love and comfort from heaven, with great spiritual implication– that they may know that he is the Lord!
It is on this spiritual note that Saint Paul addresses the Ephesian Church in the 2nd reading. He invites them to drop their selfish, narrow-minded lives and corrupted way of deceitfulness. Rather, they should put on new selves of generosity, loving of ones’ neighbors, insightful in matters of faith, patience, trusting, selfless, compassionate and believing! To accomplish these could be challenging and long, just as the journey was long for Israel.
A long journey for Israel– but, all these we see, summed up in Christ the New Moses who provides the hungry multitude of today’s Gospel with the “new bread from heaven” that endures for eternal life. Of course, in symbols, Christ meant those spiritual and moral bread (s) that transcends ordinarily and material bread and fish he had just fed the 5000 with last Sunday. In fact, it is well put in the alleluia verse of today that “man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4b). With God everything is possible. How do we believe in the fact that with God everything is possible?
How many times do we not focus all our attention and emotion on material, fish, bread, money, power, control, and physical success in this life? How many times do we not flock to Christ solely for material loaves like those we hear of in today’s Gospel! Those we regard as our friends, do we truly love them because they are kind, prayerful, spiritual, exemplary in virtues, or do we go to them because of the material gains we tap temporary from them?
The readings of today, in fact, provide us material for onward meditation and reflections on these questions. They suggest that we labor and strife in this life as Christians, we must labor, work hard, study hard with love and patient endurance, trusting in God and in what has been revealed to us through the scriptures, the mouth of the Apostles and the teachings of the Church.
Granted that there are undeniable material hunger here and there, in the world, Christ must not be followed just for the satisfaction of material hunger, but also for the renewed desire to hear, preach, live his word–putting on new spiritual selves, imbibing his values with renewed zeal. This is why Pope Francis continues to emphasize that more be done by global humanity to spread, multiply and share good works, eliminate greediness and corruption in our nation’s public offices! Moreover, Christ, the Bread of Life, can be searched, thirst for, and followed by wealthier nations, friends and individuals who support the poorer ones with love, who replace indifferent attitude towards spiritual and family values– where bread are shared, moral virtues cultivated with faith, hope, love and positive attitudes toward the teachings of Christ, our true and imperishable Bread of Life.
There are indeed many people who are searching or seeking Jesus in our day and age. Most of these people are not different from those who were seeking Jesus Christ in the Gospel Reading of today. As the people were seeking Jesus for the sake of bread and fish most people today still seek the Lord just for “magic” to be done in their lives (not even miracles because there is a difference between magic and miracle).
It is not uncommon that most of people butterfly from one church to the other, from one religious house to another in search of signs and wonders not faith in God. Some people are fundamentally attracted to those worship centres where it is perceived that there is someone (a man or a woman) who sees vision and can perform wonders. Miracles are not the essence of our Christian vocation.
The great miracle is that you know God; the greater miracle is that you worship Him, love him as well as others and the greatest miracle is that you finally be with him in heaven. If we understand these very well, there will be no need for us to search for Jesus because of perishable things rather than for values that are eternal (Matt. 6:33). God knows our challenges and He knows also our chances.
Putting God on a hot seat because of what is facing us now shows our lack of faith in Him. In the Second Reading (Eph.4:17.20-24) St. Paul related it to the old man in us which belongs to the former manner of life. There is need for us then, like he suggested, that we be renewed in mind and spirit by putting on the new man. With the new man and new mind we search for God to know Him, Love Him and be with Him. With the new man in us we stop questioning God and pray and wait for Him to act.
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