Word to the Wise
Monday, April 24, 2023 - 3rd Week of Easter - Mon
[Acts 6:8-15 and John 6:22-29,347]"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." [John]
The feeding of the five thousand men and the walking on the water are signs that will serve as a "platform" for the "bread of life" discourse that comprises most of chapter six of the Gospel According to John. What Jesus will have to say in that chapter is pivotal for Catholic eucharistic faith and practice, as we shall see in the gospel scriptures during this week. But it presumes a very important thing: faith in Jesus as the one whom God has sent. "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."
By the time the Gospel According to John was put into writing, most of the apostles were, according to tradition, martyred with only the Beloved Disciple still living. Since scripture scholars place the composition of this gospel in the period 90-110 A.D., there had been considerable reflection on the meaning of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and identity, and how these were to be preached. The faith of the community in Jesus' continuing presence as "the bread of life" was putting them into conflict in the synagogues where they had been accustomed to pray. Even some of those who considered themselves disciples parted company with Jesus over his teaching about his Body and Blood and its necessity for eternal life. Reflection on this reality in the days ahead may challenge all of us in our own faith. Stay tuned!
AMEN