18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
St Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, Curé of Ars
Gospel John 6:24-35
“I tell you most solemnly, it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world”. Jesus is teaching about Eucharist. In these words, we can understand a lot about Eucharist. Jesus is referring to manna given in the desert. The context of manna is the context of Eucharist. We also are in a journey towards our heavenly Jerusalem. We also need the sustenance in our journey. And often we are in desert where there is no other nothing else other than the manna which comes from heaven. Here comes the context of Eucharist. Jesus says very clearly that it was His Father in heaven who gave the bread from heaven. Manna in the Old Testament was a sign of the love of God the Father. A love that touches the daily life and sustained their life. And in the New Testament, God the Father is also giving the bread, but this bread is not just sustaining the life. This is the bread that gives life. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst”. We must go to Him. We must believe in Him. Going is encountering and believing is entrusting. Every Eucharist is encountering Jesus and entrusting to Him. Jesus is life. Let’s reflect: Do I participate in the Eucharist as an encounter with Jesus and an act of entrusting myself to Him?
Don Giorgio