Jesus’ gift to the world

Listening to the Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord,
by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit
help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Listening to the Word

Jn 6:41–51

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. 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. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 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.”

Reflection

In the previous Sunday's Gospel people are looking for Jesus since through the five pieces of bread and two fish of a generous boy he was able to feed everybody.

The intention of Jesus was to help people realize that the real sign was the gift of himself and his word as the true bread from heaven; through him, their deepest anger and thirst would be satisfied once for all.

His sign was misunderstood. While Jesus, in his teaching, was trying to challenge his listeners with a proposal or project of life that would entail a spiritual rebirth, a new way of relationships in which no one would go hungry, people were looking for a convenient provider for their material needs.

The discourse on the bread of life represents an open invitation to all to adhere to the person of Jesus as truly sent by the Father to offer us the life of God. Adam was forbidden to eat from the tree of life but in Jesus, Son of God, the true bread of life this gift is made available to us.

We may have many concerns and preoccupations preventing us from grasping Jesus's invitation to believe. As a matter of fact, we are so hungry... after many things. Well, today Jesus makes it clear that there is indeed food that does not perish, food for the life of the world. Great hope and joy is coming to us from this assurance. To believe in him is what we have to do, he is the one that lays down his life for us, his love will bring us to the Father. Let us contemplate Jesus' word more while stopping focusing on ourselves.