Reflection for Sunday August 5, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: John 6:24-35

Gospel: John 6:24-35

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "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. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat." 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. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." 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."

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Reflection:

Every Sunday, I would go to the house of an eighty seven (87) years old woman to give her Holy Communion. One thing that always catch my attention is this: Whenever I enter their house I would always see a corporal neatly laid on a table and there is always a candle waiting to be lighted. Therefore, I would immediately take out my pyx open it to expose the Bread of Life after which I put it in the corporal. And right there the 87-years-old woman would bow her head in worship and reverence for Jesus.

There was one Sunday that the rain was very strong. Hence, I stayed for a little while and I asked her: Were you a volunteer church worker during your younger years? And she said, yes I was, I was a catechist for so many years. I would teach those who would go through their first Holy Communion. That the bread that they’re going to accept is none other than the Bread of Life which is Jesus Himself.

I immediately concurred and said to her; the same Bread of Life which keeps you strong and which keeps on nourishing you every Sunday and she emphatically said: Yes!

In the gospel, Jesus tells the crowd who followed Him to Capernaum: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."(John 6:35) Why did Jesus reveal Himself to them? 

This is for the reason that they were following Him because of the loaves that they ate (John 6:11) not because of Himself. They did not follow Jesus because they love Him they followed Jesus since He fed them with loaves. If Jesus did not feed them they would have not followed Him to Capernaum.

Like the crowd who followed Jesus to Capernaum many of us follow Jesus for the reason of the material things that we can receive from Jesus. However, Jesus is way more than any material things that we can receive in this world.

In following Jesus we should follow because we love Him, because we want to give ourselves to Him and we want to share in His mission. These are the right reasons to follow Jesus!

The 87 years old woman followed Jesus for the right reasons, she gave a part of her life to Jesus by serving as a Catechist. And now that she is in the twilight of her life the eternal Bread of Life which is Jesus Himself is always with her every Sunday. Nourishing her, giving her hope and assuring her that she would be with Him in heaven someday.

How about you, why do you attend Holy Mass, why do you partake of the Bread of Life during Holy Communion? – Marino J. Dasmarinas