Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 4, 2024
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.”
As a student on an active college campus, I meet many young people who are conscious about their nutrition and physique. If you take a walk through a place like the Rockne Memorial gym, you’re likely to hear a few students strategizing about how they’re going to get enough protein that day via four trips to Grab n’ Go.
What’s discussed less frequently is that we consume much more than food. Every day, we are shaped by the time we spend on our phones, the TV shows we watch, the material things we purchase, the discussions we engage in, and the environments we place ourselves in. We can even appear physically healthy while our soul lacks what it most needs.
Today Jesus tells us that he is the bread of life who will truly fulfill us when all our pursuits for “enough” seem to leave us wanting more. He makes us consider what we strive for and where we place our attention.
Like nutrition and exercise, I often feel that I need to do everything in my spiritual life. The rich history of the church gives me a lot to chew on. But this summer I’ve realized that doing the simple things consistently is so much more important. At this point in my life, what I need is not to read Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae cover to cover, but to turn off my phone just a little earlier each night and actually pray to Jesus—to actually open myself up to a relationship with him.
How great is it that Jesus, the bread of life, makes himself so accessible to us in prayer and the sacraments? No hidden fees or protein required. That’s the diet that offers eternal life
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.