Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 1, 2021
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
you are looking for me not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
So they said to him,
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
So they said to him,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Like many, I am immediately drawn to the end of this gospel where Jesus describes himself as the “bread of life.”
When I prayed the Lord’s Prayer growing up, I remember thinking the line “give us this day our daily bread” was a bit demanding. Borderline rude, really. I grew up in a household where manners were drilled into us, and telling God almighty to provide me with food every day felt weird. There wasn’t even a please at the end! But when we consider that Jesus is the bread of life, it gives a deeper meaning to this request.
Today’s gospel reminds us in simple terms that Christ is all we need, that we should be seeking sustenance from God daily. We can’t live without it. We should crave God the way we hunger for food.
Like the disciples in this passage, let us pursue God. This week I moved to Los Angeles without a job hoping to pursue a career in television writing. Today I realize I should be devoting myself fully to my faith with the same fervor I have committed to my worldly ambitions. I want to find myself asking more, “What can I do TODAY to accomplish the works of God?”
Prayer
Lord, we are often tempted to work for “food that perishes.” Too often we take the easy road and the sure thing. We come to you today with open hands, that we may be filled with the food that endures for eternal life. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Alphonsus Liguori was born in 1696 in Naples, Italy, the oldest of seven children. He was soon known as a child prodigy—he earned a doctorate in law by the age of 16. At 21 he had his own legal practice and soon became a leading lawyer in Naples.
His law practice immersed him in the world, and he found escape in music and in visiting the sick. While visiting people suffering from terminal illnesses, he felt a distinct call to leave the world and to give himself to God. He began to study theology, even though his family protested, and was ordained a priest when he was 29.
He became known for his clear, direct, and simple preaching, and he would travel to parishes around Naples giving missions. He became a sought-after theologian and writer and founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists, in 1750.
He was appointed bishop of an area near Naples, which was marked by uneducated parishioners and apathetic priests. He worked tirelessly to educate the laity and reform seminaries.
As he aged, he suffered from severe rheumatism. Often, he could barely move or even raise his chin off his chest. He spent several years only drinking from tubes because his head was so bent forward.
He endured turmoil within the government and even his own religious order, but persevered through it all. He vowed to never waste a moment of his life and lived that way for more than 90 years. He died in 1787 and nearly 100 years later, he was declared a doctor of the Church, a title given to 35 saints who are known for elucidating the faith by their words or example.
Much of what marks St. Alphonsus’ holiness has to do with his use of time. On the one hand, he vowed to never waste a moment of his life, and was profoundly productive. On the other hand, it was in performing a profoundly non-productive work of mercy that he heard God’s call to deepen his life of faith. As a leading lawyer, he must have had many claims on his time, yet he made time in his day to visit those suffering from terminal illnesses. Those visits opened a different horizon to his life.
As the patron of the work of lay people, we can call upon St. Alphonsus’ example and prayer to assist us in using our time well. May we find the balance he achieved between productivity and the “unproductive” works of mercy where we hear the voice of God.
St. Alphonsus Liguori’s relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, patron saint of the work of laypeople, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Alphonsus Liguori is in the public domain. Last accessed March 28, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
