Those that had been fed by Jesus cross the sea are looking for him. Why? They are hungry again and they want more bread and fish! Jesus, the great teacher is going to use their physical hunger to talk about a deeper hunger, a spiritual hunger.
They are coming to Jesus because he gave them bread and fish. Jesus will reveal that He is the source of this spiritual bread that only God can satisfy, and that bread is his flesh: the Eucharist. We’ll hear about that later this week.
But in this little prologue, Jesus talks about work: we spend a lot of time working for the physical food our bodies need, and little time working for the spiritual food our souls need. We feed the body, while neglecting the spirit.
The crowd, like many people today, believe the most important thing in life is to keep alive, to be healthy, strong and economically sufficient. Jesus is speaking of a deeper purpose here.
The purpose of life isn’t simply to satisfy our physical desires. There is a human hunger, a restlessness, for more, a spiritual hunger for doing the will of God. Man does not live on bread alone, but by following the divine vocation, the call to holiness.
In his new, apostolic exhortation, Pope Francis speaks of these dual hungers: “Hunger and thirst are intense experiences, since they involve basic needs and our instinct for survival.” But there is a deeper hunger, the Holy Father, says, one, which Jesus praises in his beatitudes when he says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”…the deeper hunger, is for true justice and holiness.
This includes seeking to be faithful to God’s will in every aspect of our life and also seeking justice for those who are most vulnerable, as Isaiah teaches: “Seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
Jesus feeds us with his body and blood, that we, like Him, might become abandoned to the will of the Father, to work for justice, for the glory of God, and the salvation of souls.
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That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life. We pray to the Lord.
That the redemptive power of Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice will extend to the hearts and minds of all those who govern peoples and nations. We pray to the Lord.
That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ. We pray to the Lord.
That the Real Presence of Jesus will be experienced in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, and in our friendships. We pray to the Lord.
For those who live in want: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians may bring the justice and mercy of Christ to all those in need. We pray to the Lord.
For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.
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