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“Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said,
“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.” John
6:25–27
The day before, Jesus fed the crowds at the miracle of the
multiplication of the loaves and fish. The next day, the people
were hungry again, so they went looking for Jesus thinking that He
might miraculously feed them again. In the passage above, Jesus
uses their physical hunger to point them to a deeper spiritual
reality.
Each one of us is hungry. We continually have cravings that we want
satiated. Certainly, food and drink are among our cravings, but the
deepest craving we each have is a spiritual one. The problem is
that we often try to satiate ourselves in ways that will never
satisfy us. Therefore, we each need to hear Jesus say, “Do not work
for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal
life, which the Son of Man will give you.” What is that food that
the Son of Man will give to us? Of course, it is His very Body and
Blood, Soul and Divinity. It is the Most Holy Eucharist.
This passage begins the lengthy “Bread of Life Discourse” from
which we will read over the next three Sundays. Throughout this
discourse, Jesus makes it clear that His flesh is true food and His
blood is true drink. Eating Jesus’ flesh and blood is the only way
to eternal life. Some who listen to this teaching find that it is
too difficult to accept and, as a result, reject Jesus and His
teaching. The discourse ends with Jesus asking the Twelve if they
want to leave too. Peter gives the perfect response by saying,
“Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One
of God.”
As we ponder this teaching of Jesus over the next few weekends, it
is important to start with the foundation. The foundation is our
spiritual hunger. We each experience it. We each are aware of it.
We cannot escape it. For that reason, look into your own soul. What
do you see? Do you see a certain restlessness and unfulfilled
desire? Do you sense the cravings within your own soul? When you
see this, know that you have discovered the starting point of the
life of fulfillment. Unless you can see that hunger within, you
cannot turn to the source of satiation.
The Eucharist is the source of all that we long for in life;
however, too often we fail to see that. We can easily fall into the
trap of seeing the Eucharist as an obligation we must meet each
week. Sometimes Mass can even be seen as an inconvenience. If this
is your struggle, try to use the next few Sundays to reexamine your
understanding of the Most Holy Eucharist.
Sunday Mass, more than anything else in life, must be understood as
the source of our deepest satisfaction in life. It must be seen as
the answer to every interior longing and restlessness we have. It
is not money, recognition, status, power, or anything else in life
that fulfills us. It is God. And God comes to us first and foremost
in the celebration of the Mass. Do you believe this? Do you
understand?
Reflect, today, and for the next few weeks, upon the Gift of the
Most Holy Eucharist. As you do, try to see it as the answer to
every interior longing and hunger that you have in life. Try to
make an act of faith in this spiritual truth. If you do not
regularly experience the satiation offered by consuming the
Eucharist, ask yourself why not. Believe in everything that Jesus
teaches in this holy discourse of the Bread of Life. If you do, you
will also begin to receive the nourishment that our Lord
promises.
My Eucharistic Lord, You are the Bread of Life and the source of
all satisfaction in life. Your Body and Blood, given to me through
my participation in the Holy Mass, is the greatest Gift I could
ever receive. Please renew and deepen my love for You in this Gift
so that I will find full satisfaction and fulfillment in You alone.
Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured image above: Miracle of the Bread and Fish by
Giovanni Lanfranco, via Wikimedia Commons
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