The Bread of Life discourse

It’s the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time and today’s gospel actually comes right after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. But before I forget, this is the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated persons, which is why I mentioned in our gospel reading last Sunday that the feeding of the five thousand was done by our Lord Jesus through the efforts of his apostles. I pointed out that the Lord could have fed the five thousand and more people in that deserted place by giving each of them a MacDonald’s meal, but no, they were presented with five barley loaves and two fish which the apostles distributed and ended up with 12 baskets full of leftovers.

This only means that our Lord Jesus Christ always used his apostles to do the work of his Church. Today, 2,000 years later, the work of the Clergy continues and since this is the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated persons, the Archdiocese of Cebu came up with honoring the clergy and priests today and yesterday during the Feast of St. John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of priests. So in consonance with the wishes of the Archdiocese of Cebu, we would like to express our gratitude to all bishops and priests of the Cebu Archdiocese for their tireless work in shepherding their flock and educating us on the doctrines of the Catholic Church. So allow me to present to you our gospel today from John 6: 24-35

“24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

“Jesus the Bread of Life

“25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

“28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna. In the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat]”

“32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

“35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirst.”

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As I mentioned last week, the feeding of the five thousand was a prefiguration of the Holy Eucharist that we receive every Sunday. Unfortunately, too many Catholics do not give honor to the Holy Eucharist and receive it like they were one of the people receiving the barley loaves and fish given by the apostles perhaps because they do not believe that our Lord is truly present, his body, blood, soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist.

Lest you have already forgotten, the Lord Jesus declared in the last paragraph of today’s gospel when the people in the deserted placed asked him to give us this bread that comes down from heaven when he said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Today we receive our Lord Jesus Christ when we take Holy Communion, which is why we must do so in total reverence to the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ who instituted this Sacrament so he can be with us until the end of time.

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