Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 5, 2018 - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Exod 16:2-4, 12-15; Eph 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35]"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." [John]
This dialogue occurs after the multiplication of the loaves and fishes in the Gospel According to John. The crowds follow Jesus, looking for more bread. He seems to them like Moses who fed the Israelites in the desert. Jesus tells them that they are mistaken about Moses and mistaken about him. They are mistaken about Moses because it was God who provided the manna and not Moses. They are mistaken about Jesus because they do not understand that HE is the bread of life, and not the loaves they ate.
The discourse that follows the sign of the loaves and fishes will first declare that Jesus is the bread of life. His words, "I AM the bread of life," echo the voice from the burning bush. It is faith in him that will give eternal life to the believer. The discourse will then indicate that Jesus will give himself to the believer as food and drink. It is this part of the discourse that causes some of his disciples to abandon him. [John 6:66] Jesus directly challenges his closest disciples as to whether they, too, will go away. Simon replies, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
I have mentioned here before the story of the young woman whom I instructed and received into the church. I asked her what had been the most difficult part of the process of faith. She replied, "The Eucharist. If you accept that, the rest is easy." If Jesus has the words of eternal life and he says that he can give us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink, then the conclusion is there for us to accept. We celebrate this at Mass - the Eucharist - and we receive the consecrated bread and wine which become the body and blood of Christ by virtue of the power of the Holy Spirit which brings about this transformation. This is a powerful act of faith on our part and the fulfillment of Jesus' promise on his part. We stand with Simon Peter and those who remain in faith to this very day. AMEN