WelCom August 2024
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – John 6:24-35
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, 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.’
30 So they said to him, ‘What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?
31 ‘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 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.’
‘I am the bread of life’ – John 6: 24-35
Dr Elizabeth Julian rsm
This morning on my way to Church a woman swore at me as I bent down to pick up something she had dropped. So what? What’s the connection?
‘In today’s gospel Jesus is faced with hungry crowds. They had recently experienced bread in such quantities that there were twelve baskets left over! They knew they were on to a good thing — they weren’t really looking for signs of who Jesus was. Jesus told them not to bother working for perishable food like the manna their ancestors experienced in the desert but instead for ‘food that endures for eternal life.’ How? By doing the works of God, that is, by believing in Jesus. But the people are still not satisfied. They ask for a sign, a reason for believing in Jesus who answers, ‘I am the bread of life’.
So how are we to get this bread?
We get this bread by believing in Jesus – total dedication to him and his Way. (Remember it’s the Jesus who reached out to the poor, sick, marginalised, etc.)
But how does Jesus nourish us so we will be satisfied?
First, through his Word in Scripture – feeding our minds and hearts, helping us find meaning and direction.
Second, through his Church – our active participation in a Christian community.
Third, through life-giving experiences and events – for example, with people, nature, music, art, sports, education, and so on.
Fourth, through the Eucharist – the sign of that Bread of Life by which we celebrate God’s extraordinary love shown through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is here we come as a community to give thanks for the many ways God, through Jesus, comes into our daily lives. It is here we come to be transformed so we can be bread for the hungry, for the woman who swore at me.