The Living Bread

True Bread.

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets:‘They shall all be taught by God.’Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; 50 this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”-John6:44-51

Some Christian groups say that the 'bread' that Jesus mentioned here is metaphorical or symbolic only. However, the last line in today's Gospel clearly states that the 'bread' Jesus speaks of is His flesh. But Jesus never said cannibalism here. In fact, if there is one or two who probed deeper and asked Jesus what He truly meant, His Majesty might just have mentioned transubstantiation here. Later on, Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist in the Last Supper making His body and blood true bread and wine. Not only are we doing it in memory of Jesus, but it is through this Holy Meal that we become truly alive because Jesus lives in our own life.

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True food.

30 So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? 31 [a]Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”32 So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 [b]Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.-John6:30-35

Whoever comes to Jesus will never hunger, and whoever believes in Him will never thirst. Yes, Jesus quenches all thirst and satisfies all hunger physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. However, Jesus speaks more of the spiritual hunger and thirst that we have in our lives. So many wonder why their lives seem empty. They work in a good company, earn money, travel, spend even beyond their limit, buy, stock up their houses, but in the end, still feel empty. If somebody will say, "God is knocking in your heart," they would flinch and deny that God has something to do with it. "Beach outing is what I need," some would say. Though we surround ourselves with material things, nothing can truly satisfy except God. Perhaps this is why there is preference for the poor because they respond easily to God, whereas the rich look for other ways, faraway things. Jesus is calling us to come and believe in Him. It is only in Jesus that life can be truly meaningful.

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The Bread that Gives Life

True food and true work.

22 [a]The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. 23 [b]Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 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. 27 Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life,[c] which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” 28 So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”-John6:22-29

The food that endures for eternal life comes from Jesus. It is through the Eucharist that we receive this very food that endures eternal life, comes from Jesus, Jesus Himself is the food, and a daily remembrance of Jesus' memory. And as Jesus said, '... work for food... that endures for eternal life.' What work then? To believe in Him, the One sent by God the Father. Jesus truly simplified everything. We need not do much work, rather, to simply believe in Him. We need not toil much for the food that will bring eternal life for it is right in our very midst - the Eucharist. Taking communion truly brings much blessings and graces!

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