Trust in God Still!

John 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too. You know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’

Food for thought!

Rejections, defeats, and failures that all of us have experienced can create enough negative feelings to destroy us. It is here that we must be very careful! Often the most painful wounds are not the scars that are outwardly seen, but the hidden wounds deep in the heart. Being hidden, they are often the most d

angerous.    

Setbacks in our lives, struggles in the journey, trials that fall across the way, can take the joy out of living. Our faith is weakened, and if we collect enough hurts it will stop us from wanting to press forward. Even success can make one the target of criticism and hatrage and calumny. Do not let the hurts hurt you! Don't let the troubles trouble you, says Jesus.

This passage stands as a great rock in the Scriptures! If you have accumulated some complications along the way that are sapping your spiritual life, stealing your joy and causing you pain, this passage, if believed and received, is able to restore your joy and peace once again. If your heart is troubled by something or the other, there is help here for you today. 

You believe in God, don't you? If you do, you have a stronghold, a weapon that will bring you through the valleys! Believe that God exists and that He is in absolute control of all events, even in your life. And stubbornly, I rep eat stubbornly, hold onto this trust. In other words, trust your trust in God. And don't let, don't permit, don't allow your troubles trouble you.

As you know, whatever you focus on multiplies. If you focus on your problems all the time, your problems will look doubled; starve your problems by focussing on Jesus. "Trust in God still, and trust in Jesus."

*Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need! He lets me rest in the meadow grass and leads me beside the quiet streams. He gives me new strength. He helps me do what honors him the most. Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way. You provide delicious food for me in the presence of my enemies. You have welcomed me as your guest; blessings overflow! Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life, and afterwards I will live with you forever in your home. * (Psalm 23).

In essence, the psalmist i

s saying, “Because the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack anything”: I will not lack peace, for He makes me lie down in green pastures. I will not lack provision, for He leads me by still waters. I will not lack hope and encouragement, for He restores my soul. I will not lack guidance, for He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. I will not lack deliverance in tough times; for even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. I will not lack companionship, for You are with me. I will not lack protection, for Your rod and staff comfort me, and You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. I will not lack help and healing in all the events of life, for You anoint my head with oil. I will not lack an abundant life, for my cup overflows. I will never lack anything, for goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life. I will not lack an eternal, heavenly home, for I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I´ve laid down a pattern for you!

John 13:16-20

Then Jesus said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life. “I’m not including all of you in this. I know precisely whom I’ve selected, so as not to interfere with the fulfillment of this Scripture: The one who ate bread at my table, turned on his heel against me. “I’m telling you all this ahead of time so that when it happens you will believe that I am who I say I am. Make sure you get this right: Receivin g someone I send is the same as receiving me, just as receiving me is the same as receiving the One who sent me.”

Food for thought!

**I’m telling you all this ahead of time so that when it happens you will believe that I am who I say I am!**

These words of Jesus deserve our attention. He is saying something that I believe is extremely important. Jesus is saying: "I tell you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe that I am God." What is it that Jesus is telling us ahead of time? What is it that he is telling us in advance? Well, as you can guess, it is about Judas.

Jesus knew all about Judas' plans; he knew that this man would betray him. Jesus said, "One who eats supper with me will betray me", and after these words he immediately added: "I tell you this now so that when it happens, you will believe that I am who I say I am." Interesting, isn't it?

Jesus was well aware that he was about to be betrayed by one of  his men. Such knowledge might so easily have turned Jesus to bitterness and hatred toward Judas; but it made his heart run out in greater love than ever.

Jesus loved and lived with Judas, his enemy; he even washed his feet. The astounding thing was that the more Judas hurt him, the more Jesus loved him. It is so easy and so natural for many of us to resent wrong and to grow bitter under insult and injury; but Jesus met the greatest injury and the supreme disloyalty of Judas, with the greatest humility and the supreme love. This is what he wants us to do when he says: "I’ve laid down a pattern for . What I’ve done, you do. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life."

Jesus knew what was happening. He knew the cost and he was ready to pay it. He did not want the disciples to think that he was caught up in a blind web of circumstances from which he could not escape. He was not going to be killed; he was choosin g to die. At the moment they did not, and could not, see that, but he wanted to be sure that a day would come when they would look back and remember and understand. That's is why he said, **"I’m telling you all this ahead of time so that when it happens you will believe that I am who I say I am!"**

I have come to save the world and not to judge it!

John 12:44-50

Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are really trusting God. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer wander in the darkness. If anyone hears me and doesn’t obey me, I am not his judge—for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged at the Day of Judgment by the truths I have spoken. For these are not my own ideas, but I have told you what the Father said to tell you. And I know his instructions lead to eternal life; so whatever he tells me to say, I say!”

Food for thought!

These, according to the Gospel of John, are Jesus' last words of public teaching. After these words, Jesus will speak only to his disciples and after these, he will stand before Pilate. And after Pilatos,  he will die on the cross. So these words are extrem ely important because they are the last words of Jesus to people at large.

In these words, Jesus makes categorically that in him people are confronted with God the Father. To listen to Jesus is to listen to God; to see Jesus is to see God the Father. In Jesus God meets man, and man meets God. Jesus is the meeting place between God and man; in Jesus God meets us, and in Jesus we meet God; in Jesus God speaks to us, and in Jesus we speak to God; in Jesus we see God and in Jesus God sees us, loves us, forgives us.

Jesus tells us, for the last time, that his business among us is not to condemn but to save: I didn't come to judge the world; I came to save the world. Jesus did not come to complicate our life, but to simplify it: «Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.» (Mt 11:28). It was not the wrath of God which sent Jesus to the world; it was his love.

This said, the coming of Jesus inevitably involves judgment. Why should th at be? Because by our attitude to Jesus we show what we are and therefore we judge ourselves. If we find in Jesus solace, we are safe. If on the other hand, we see in Jesus nothing lovely and our heart remains completely untouched in his presence, it means that we are locked away from God; and we have therefore judged ourselves. In other words, Jesus is God's standard. By our attitude to him we ourselves stand revealed.

Jesus ended with a warning that the words which his listeners had heard would be their judge. That is one of the great truths of life. No one can be blamed for not knowing. But if we know the right thing and do the wrong, our condemnation is all the more serious. Therefore every wise thing that we have heard, and every opportunity we have had to know from Jesus, will in the end be a witness against us. All that we have known and did not do will be a witness against us at the last, as it is stated in Luke 12:48

«For everyone to whom much is given, of him  shall much be required.»

My purpose is to give life in all its fullness!

John 10:1-10

“Anyone refusing to walk through the gate into a sheepfold, who sneaks over the wall, must surely be a thief! For a shepherd comes through the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. He walks ahead of them; and they follow him, for they recognize his voice. They won’t follow a stranger but will run from him, for they don’t recognize his voice.”

Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them.

“I am the Gate for the sheep,” he said. “All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the Gate. Those who come in by way of the Gate will be saved and will go in and out and find green pastures.The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

Food for thought!

Since yesterday, Sunday, Jesus is making a great revelation of himself and of ourselves. About himself Jesus says: he is the shepherd. About us, Jesus is saying that we are his sheep. As you know, there cannot be a shepherd without sheep, and sheep without a shepherd. One presupposes the other. But why does Jesus liken us to sheep?

First, when God created animals, He seemed to design some of them as educational tools. By watching an eagle soar in the heavens, we can learn about the updraft of faith (Isaiah 40:31). By observing ants, we can learn the importance of diligence (Proverbs 6:6). We’re to have the surefootedness of a deer in high places (Habakkuk 3:19), to be shrewd as serpents but harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16), and to draw near to the Lord as chicks nestling under the wings of a hen (Luke 13:34).

A sheep is the one animal that is utterly clueless and helpless without a human being nearby. Sheep are helpless animals; alone they cannot survive nor thrive. Sheep need a shepherd. And there is no sheep without a shepherd. When Jesus tells us that he is the shepherd, he is saying that he is the ultimate need for you and me.

During His ministry on earth, Jesus specialized in meeting—ternal needs. He provided fish and bread for the hungry multitudes (external); He reassured the disciples, “Peace I leave with you” (internal); and He told us all that whoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (eternal). We have a God who knows and meets our needs as thoroughly as a shepherd cares for his flock.

It means that we have someone that knows us very well. In fact, the gospel of today says that Jesus (i) calls his own sheep by name and (2) leads them out. (3) He walks ahead of them; and they follow him, for they recognize his voice. It means that Jesus, our Shepherd, knows each one of us by name; it means that Jesus leads each one of us each single day; each single moment; it means that Jesus walks ahead of you and me; every where, every time. Even in our darkest of moments.

Jesus needed someone to help carry His cross — He’ll help you carry yours. All He asks is to remember him as your shepherd, your Good shepherd, whose purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

Jesus is our Shepherd and we're his Sheep!

John 10:11-18

“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man will run when he sees a wolf coming and will leave the sheep, for they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf leaps on them and scatters the flock. The hired man runs because he is hired and has no real concern for the sheep.

“I am the Good Shepherd and know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, in another fold. I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice; and there will be one flock with one Shepherd.

“The Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may have it back again. No one can kill me without my consent—I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right and power to lay it down when I want to and also the right and power to take it again. For the Father has given me this r ight.”

Food for Thought!

As we celebrate today the Good Shepherd Sunday, we do well to remember some truths about the sheep and their Shepherd. Let's begin with the sheep. They're the first animal mentioned by name in the Bible (Genesis 4:2). It is not by chance that we are likened to the sheep. In biblical times, it wasn’t dogs or cats that were man’s best friends, but sheep. They bonded with their shepherds and the shepherds with the. Jesus puts this bonding this way: "I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me!"

Rabbits, birds, reptiles, fish, and monkeys can be found in pet stores but are happiest in the wild. The forests and jungles of the world are full of wildlife requiring no human care. These animals require no specialized care by a shepherd, but we’re not like them: we’re like sheep. And by understanding the shepherd’s role in our lives, we better comprehend our own makeup and upkeep. Someone desc ribed sheep this way:

A sheep is the one animal that is utterly clueless and helpless without a human being nearby. A flock of sheep without a shepherd is a pathetic sight. You never hear of sheep migrating along in great flocks, fending for themselves, or surviving without external protection. They panic at the slightest sound. They have no sense of direction, little native intelligence, and no way to defend themselves. They can butt a little with their heads, but they’re bulky, bungling, and without defensive equipment. They can’t fight with their hooves or teeth. They can’t run away very easily, or dig holes or climb trees. They can’t track down their own food. They can get lost even in their own pasture. Their wool, which becomes thick, matted, and tangled if not regularly sheared, can weigh them down or trap them in thorns. Insects bedevil them, and they don’t recover well from disease and injury unless treated individually. Sheep als o need affection, and there’s something about them that seems to crave human care. They are utterly dependent on a shepherd. They’re just like us.

We might think we can get along just fine without a good and gracious God, and many people deny and discredit Him. But in the end, we’re nothing more than sheep without a shepherd when we distance ourselves from a loving Creator. We’re defenseless against the prowling lion that wants to devour us. We’re lost without someone to show us the path. We’ll starve without a prepared pasture. We’re easily diseased and often frightened. Without someone tending us, we become ragged, unhealthy, and utterly pathetic. We worry about the mistakes and misfortunes of yesterday or yesteryear; we’re anxious about today with its trials and troubles; and we are apprehensive about the future, which is as uncertain as the wind.

When the Lord is our Shepherd, that is enough. He is enough.

Enough to meet our needs, calm our nerves, clear our vision, restore our souls, ensure our future, and bless our day. We have a God who knows and meets our needs as thoroughly as a shepherd cares for his flock. If the Lord is our Shepherd and we’re under His ownership, management, and care, He’ll see to it that every crucial need in our lives is met in one way or another. All our material needs. All our emotional needs. All our relational needs. All our spiritual needs. All our heavenly needs.

"So my counsel is: Don’t worry about things—food, drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body—and they are far more important than what to eat and wear. Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. (Matthew 6:25-26)

Let's Mack Mark the Evangelist!

Mark 16:15-20

Jesus showed himself to the Eleven, and said to them: ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’ And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.

Food for thought!

Today, is the feast of St. Mark, the evangelist. Because of this, we want to mack this man; we want to focus our Food for thought on the man Mark, the Evangelist. As we know, Mark was not among the twelve apostles of Jesus. Probably, he did not know Jesus face to face. Where then did Mark get his information? What is so special about Mark's Gospel? What does Mark tell us about Jesus? What is Mark's style? What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark?

Well, we know that the value of any man's story will always depend on the sources of his information. Where, then, did Mark get his information about the life and work of Jesus? Today's first reading gives us a clue. It is from the First Letter of St. Peter. It says,

"I write these few words to you through Silvanus, who is a brother I know I can trust, to encourage you never to let go this true grace of God to which I bear witness. Your sister in Babylon, who is with you among the chosen, sends you greetings; so does my son, Mark."

This means that Mark was a companion of Peter the apostle, not of Jesus. Mark's gospel is, therefore, nothing other than a record of the preaching material of Peter . Certainly Mark stood so close to Peter, and so near to his heart, that Peter could call him "Mark, my son." (1Pet.5:13.) One ancient writer, Papias, says: "Mark, who was Peter's interpreter, wrote down accurately, though not in order, all that he recollected of what Christ had said or done. For he was not a hearer of the Lord or a follower of his. He followed Peter."

We may then take it that in his gospel we have what Mark remembered of the preaching material of Peter himself. And that is what makes Mark's gospel special: first, it is the earliest of all the gospels; yes, Mark's gospel is the oldest gospel. If it was written from Peter's preaching, its date will be about the tear A.D. 65. Second, Mark's gospel embodies the record of what Peter preached and taught about Jesus. We may put it this way, Mark is the nearest approach we will ever possess to an eyewitness account of the life of Jesus. It is the nearest thing we will ever get to a report of Jesus' life. All the othe r  gospels were written after Mark's gospel, and by and large copied his gospel. 

This is another proof that Jesus needs us all. He used Mark, who was never an apostle. This is why Mark himself quotes Jesus, "Go out into the real world and witness to Jesus." Whoever you are, wherever you are, you can and should witness for Jesus, like Mark did. Just be genuine, be yourself, be Christian.

"Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters, remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you your full portion of all he owns. He is the one you are really working for." (Colossians 3:23-24)

ANYONE & EVERYONE that accepts Jesus will live for ever!

John 6:52-59

Then the Jews began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked. So Jesus said it again, “With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you eat the flesh of the Messiah* and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him at the Last Day. For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. Everyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood is in me, and I in him. I live by the power of the living Father who sent me, and in the same way those who partake of me shall live because of me! I am the true Bread from heaven; and anyone who eats this Bread shall live forever, and not die as your fathers did—though they ate bread from heaven.” (He preached this sermon in the synagogue in Capernaum.)

Food for thought!

Jesus makes a universal offer of salvation to ALL people. He cries that “ANYONE who does the eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life.” Then he adds: “EVERYONE who eats my flesh and drinks my blood is in me, and I in him.” And still he says again: “ANYONE who eats this Bread shall live forever.” Anyone who will come to Jesus will be saved. Those who will not come to Jesus will never be saved. That is the bottom line!

This ANYONE includes you and me and all those who accept Jesus. All we have to do is see Jesus for who he is and place our faith in Him. When we do that, we will save our soul. “To all who received him, those believing in his name, he gave authority to become God's children.” (John 1:12).

Man can try any method of salvation he chooses. That is one of the great privileges of being a human. God has created us with a free will. We have the ability to choose how we will live our lives. However, regardless of how a man lives or what path he chooses for life, salvation will never be produced in the life of any person anywhere unless they come to Jesus Christ by faith. That may seem narrow minded and simplistic, but that is what Jesus teaches us this week: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Messiah and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.”

“They replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and your entire household.” (Acts 16:31);

“There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them.” (Acts 4:12);

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever!

John 6:44-51

Jesus said to the crowd: ‘No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God, and Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anybody has seen the Father, except the one who comes from God: he has seen the Father. I tell you most solemnly, everybody who believes has eternal life. ‘I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.’

Food for thought!

Again Jesus makes one of those revelations of his: "They will all be taught by God; Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me." It means that the Father teaches and we listen; it means that God continues to teach us, using Jesus (yesterday), using Phillip (1st Reading).

It is said that God gave us two ears and one mouth so we may listen more and talk less. We do well then to learn to listen. This is the first and necessary condition for being disciple of Jesus. The words, student, pupil, disciple and learner mean basically the same. All represent the same fact: willingness to  learn. “If you love to hear, you will receive, and if you listen, you will be wise”, says Ben Sira, a Hebrew scholar.

A student, a pupil, a disciple and a learner with a shut mind is a contradiction in terms.  As long we live we must adopt a learning attitude. Learning is not a one time event; it is a life long event leading the learner deeper and deeper into truths. The learner who feels that he has nothing more to learn he has not even begun to learn.

In today's first reading we find a good learner, a eunuch, who was an officer at the court of the queen of Ethiopia. He was a man of influence, a chief treasurer. Yet, he was ignorant of Scripture. And as they say, ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Jesus. The first reading says:

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Be ready to set out at noon along the road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.’ So he set off on his journey. Now it happened that an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia, and was in fact her chief treasurer. He was now on his way home; and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and meet that chariot.’ When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ ‘How can I’ he replied ‘unless I have someone to guide me?’ So he invited Philip to get in and sit by his side. Now the passage of scripture he was reading was this: Like a sheep that is led to the slaughter-house, like a lamb that is dumb in front of its shearers, like these he never opens his mouth. He has been humiliated and has no one to defend him. Who will ever talk about his descendants, since his life on earth has been cut short! The eunuch turned to Philip and said, ‘Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or someone else?’ Starting, therefore, with this text of scripture Philip proceeded to explain the Good News of Jesus to him. (Acts 8:26-40).

You haven´t believed even though you have seen me!

John 6:35-40

Jesus replied to the people, “I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never thirst. But the trouble is, as I have told you before, you haven’t believed even though you have seen me. But some will come to me—those the Father has given me—and I will never, never reject them. For I have come here from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to have my own way. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the Last Day. For it is my Father’s will that everyone who sees his Son and believes on him should have eternal life—that I should raise him at the Last Day.”

Food for thought!

In today's gospel reading, Jesus makes a worrisome statement: "you haven't believed even though you have seen me." How is so? How comes we see him and not believe? What is wrong with us? What is wrong with man? In fact, this is what is happening since we started chapter six of the Gospel of John. At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus made two miracles, of multiplying a few bread for thousands of people; the other miracle was walking on water. All these miracles were seen by the people, including his disciples.

The people saw Jesus at work and did not believe; they saw the miracles of Jesus and didn't believe in the Jesus doing the miracles. The people cannot go beyond the bread; they got stuck with bread of Jesus. They have seen Jesus but still cannot believe in Jesus. They have seen his works but cannot believe his words. Are we any different? Don't we do the same? 

The people ate Jesus' works but they don't want to eat Jesus' words. His explanation is too difficult to take in. His  works are ok, the words are not. The people did stand Jesus' works; they cannot stand Jesus' words. We too, we see Jesus. We see him in the pages of the New Testament, in the events of life, sometimes even face to face.  Having seen him, we come to him. We regard him not as some distant hero and pattern, not as a figure in a book, but as someone accessible. We believe in him. That is to say, we accept him as the final authority on God, on man, on life, on everything.

Let us believe that Jesus is indeed the bread of life; that he who comes to Jesus will never be hungry; that he who believes in Jesus will never thirst; that all that the Father gives to Jesus will come to him, and whoever comes to him he shall not turn him away; that he will lose nothing of all that he has given to him, and that Jesus will raise us up on the last day. Yes, it is his Father’s will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and that Jesus shall raise him up on the last day.’

God is not man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not deliver? (Numbers 23:19); I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these thing (Numbers 14:35); He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind." (1Samuel 15:29); From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do (Isaiah 46:11); so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

Jesus said: "I am the Bread of Life!"

John 6:30-35

They replied, “You must show us more miracles if you want us to believe you are the Messiah. Give us free bread every day, like our fathers had while they journeyed through the wilderness! As the Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven.’”

Jesus said, “Moses didn’t give it to them. My Father did. And now he offers you true Bread from heaven. The true Bread is a Person—the one sent by God from heaven, and he gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day of our lives!” Jesus replied, “I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never thirst.

Food for thought!

As we saw yesterday, the people are still stuck with material bread; they just can't think of anything better; they just can't go beyond the gift to the giver, can't go beyond the bread of Jesus to the Jesus of the bread; can't go beyond the material to the spiritual. All they ask of Jesus is that He give more physical bread. But this is too little. To come to Jesus to ask for mere bread is just too little. Jesus gives us much more than food for the stomach; he gives food for eternity; he gives food for the soul; he gives himself.

Sometimes all we ask of Jesus is bread or some material thing, some physical healing. This is too little to ask Jesus; this is reducing Jesus to a social worker. Don't ask Jesus merely material things; this is too little. Dare to ask for bigger things, like wisdom, love, humility, faith; ask for eternal life. In today's gospel, the people even remind Jesus of the Old Testament miracle of the Manna. They tell Jesus that Moses gave the children of Israel Manna, and they want to know what He is capable of doing. Christ's response is to remind them that Moses was not responsible for the Manna, but that it was the provision of God. He goes on to tell them that the true bread from Heaven is a person. In fact, it is Jesus himself who is the Bread of Life.

What does it mean for Jesus to be bread of life?

Bread (food) is a substance known and used by every society on the face of the earth; bread is consumed by people everywhere. We cannot live without bread; we can skip a meal, but can never skip all meals all the time. Why? Well, because bread sustains physical life. It is that without which biological life cannot go on.

Jesus is to our souls what bread is to our body. Physical bread can sustain human life for long periods of time. However, after a time, the body will still die, even though it is well fed. Jesus, on the other hand, is bread that gives everlasting life. When Jesus is received, He gives a salvation that lasts for all eternity.

In other words, the Bread of life is not a system or a denomination, or a church, or a creed; He is a Person. This truth simply serves to remind us that we can never be saved by some religious system or method. Salvation comes through Jesus and Jesus alone! Acts 4:12. What Jesus is teaching us in today´s gospel is simple. He is saying that He is «indispensable»; that we cannot live without him, cannot do away with him; that we need Him; that we do well not to ignore him or forget him; that we do well to welcome him and be with him as he is with us.