Reflection

Gospel

So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”  They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”  Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.  It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—  not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh”.                                                           John 6: 41-51

Reflection

How often we hear the phrase “God will provide.” God does come to our aid. We receive what we need to persevere. Sometimes we lack only sustenance. At other times, when we are pressed down, we need more. We seek the sense that God is with us on our journey, and deeply loves us. We can then eat, drink, and be spiritually energised by God’s love as we continue our mission with renewed zeal. We clearly can never live “by bread alone.”

The psalm reminds us, we need to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” Eat, drink, and go on with our journey to the Lord. The alleluia also reinforces the symbol of our God as the “Living Bread.” “Whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

The sum of our core mission as Christians is in Paul’s letter: “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” We certainly can make these words come alive in our daily actions. We can do this and remain God-loving agents of change in our modern world.

The gospel for this 19th Sunday in ordinary time is profound. Jesus does not couch his message in a parable; he directly tells us who and what he is. He is “the Living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Neither Elijah’s God-given bread nor the manna that fed the Israelites in the desert allowed those who ate it eternal life. Jesus tells us that “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” May we with this promise and spiritual nourishment continue our journey toward God.

Julie Leonard Religious Education Leader/Wellbeing Leader