August 5, 2018

Gospel: Jn 6:24-35
When they saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Master, when did you come here?” Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, you look for me, not because of the signs which you have seen, but because you ate bread and were satisfied. Work then, not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give it to you, for he is the one on whom the Father has put his mark.” Then the Jews asked him, “What shall we do? What are the works that God wants us to do?” And Jesus answered them, “The work God wants is this: that you believe in the One whom God has sent.” They then said, “Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe you. What sign do you perform? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says: They were given bread from heaven to eat.” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread God gives is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.” And they said to him, “Give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty.

Lectio Divina
Read: The Israelites grumble on the road; Yahweh responds to their needs by providing food. We are invited to cast off the old self and put on the new man who pivots on God. Jesus invites his listeners to work for the imperishable food, to receive him who is the bread of heaven.
Reflect: Our invitation is to discard the old self and put on the new. The “old” self busies itself with material needs and other concerns of this world. Even in their search for God, the motivating factor is the satisfaction of the earthly needs, as Jesus bluntly tells his people. Jesus wants us to hinge on the spiritual, that which lasts beyond the earthly and ensures eternal health of the soul. And the food that ensures such health is Christ himself. Hence, the means to discard the old self and put on new is by feeding on Christ himself.
Pray: Lord, you are the bread of life; feed me with yourself so that I become you.
Act: Share your God-experience with someone who is hungry for the spiritual.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018