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.” John
6:35
Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel is known as the Bread of Life
Discourse. It is here, not at the Last
Supper, that we are told that Jesus has been given to us by the Father so that
we can be saved and have eternal life.
Over and over in the Gospels Jesus ask his apostles if they have faith,
if they trust and over and over again their words say no. And then, Jesus shows them who he is and
their eyes are opened, if just for the briefest moment. And they see with eyes of faith. Many of Jesus’ followers left him because of
his words in chapter six. They were
looking for signs, something big and flashy.
But Jesus has no need of flash.
He comes to us in the simple, ordinary stuff of life; bread and wine. All of him is contained in the smallest of
crumbs, the tiniest drop and we take and eat and become one with Jesus. And we pray, as John the Baptist, “I must
decrease, he must increase.”
Our challenge is to become a true follower of Jesus. Our faith and trust in him and his word must
override our faith and trust in the world.
What has the world ever given us to compare with what Jesus has given
us? The world wants us to live for the
moment; Jesus offers us eternal life.
The world is nonstop motion trying to achieve success; Jesus offers us a
peace that is beyond all understanding.
The world says it is all about me; Jesus shows us that if we die to
ourselves, we gain life in abundance.
Do we believe he is present in the Eucharist? Pray to believe and know this with the eyes
of faith. And then, we can follow him.
No comments:
Post a Comment