“I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst“, says Jesus in today’s gospel. Today we came together to receive this bread and to have life in its fullness.
If we analyse the discussion between Jesus and some of his hearers we can conclude that Jesus and these people talk in different perspectives which can happen in our daily discussions too. Jesus speaks about the faith and the happiness of life. Some of his hearers speak about the food which they dailey needed. Surely there is relation between happiness and food. Those who have nothing to eat, they might not be very happy. But for Jesus faith in God and relationship with God have also to do much with happiness and fulfilment.
But the hearers of Jesus could think only about the bread they ate through the miracle of Jesus. They could not understand the words of Jesus on life with God. Jesus tried to discuss with his hearers about the important perspectives in life.
In that discussion between Jesus and his hearers they raised three questions to Jesus.
First: Rabbi, when did you come here?“
Second: “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
Third: “Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform?“
For the first question Jesus did not give any concrete answer. Instead Jesus accused them about their egoism and worldliness. People would have come to Jesus only because they might have hoped to something more from Jesus, accused Jesus. Jesus had given them bread through a miracle. People should have come to Jesus to get this bread again. But the miracle of Jesus was only a sign. People should have understood the sign and come to faith instead of expecting again signs.
With a sign people could understand the work of God.
To the second question Jesus answered that the people should believe in God and in his Son Jesus Christ. The question was very concrete. What should we do. The answer of Jesus is also concrete. Many people have come to Jesus at that time to hear Jesus and to receive favours from him. If they had believed in God and in Jesus they would have believed in his message also. Many were happy about Jesus, but they were not courageous enough to believe in him. Same was in the history of Christianity and in our case today. We know the truth, but we do not have the courage to confess it.
The third question about the signs, Jesus answers by saying, the bread from heaven and from God the Father is the sign. This bread is Jesus himself. This sign of bread, which is Jesus himself, has always been preserved and proclaimed by the Church as the most important sign. The Church has always referred to this sign from heaven as the deepest experience of communion and as the center of faith. This bread is the sign of unity and the bond of love.
The Church invites us to receive this sign, the Bread of Life, worthily and thereby experience God’s closeness within us. So I would wish that you to consider the Eucharist as the center of our faith and wish that we all experience it that way.
Fr. Joseph Pandiappallil MCBS