I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
This theme of hunger continues in the Gospels this Sunday. Last week we heard about the multiplication of loaves; this week we hear more on the theme.
Through our laptops, our phones and our TVs we hear about the need to consume. We’re bombarded with the idea that happiness and contentment come from buying more and more. Advertisements preach that the key to joy lies in accumulating possessions. But this narrative is misleading. It is ‘fake news’.
Everyone needs to live but, in our world, we are surrounded by those who have and those who have not. Today, Jesus offers us the simplest gift of linking God and our life through ‘Bread’. (In another culture, He may have said, “I am the ‘rice’ of life.”) Jesus is announcing God’s presence in the ordinary of everyday.
Jesus invites us to encounter him not just as a solution to immediate needs, but as the very essence of life, physically and spiritually. He presents himself as the Bread of Life, capable of satisfying all our cravings and infusing our daily existence with purpose and significance.
Prayer*
Lord God, In a world where many are hungry, we thank you for the food we share.
In a world where many are lonely, we thank you for our fellowship.
In a world where so many live in fear and mistrust, we thank you for the example of unity and peace.
In a world where many do not know the love of God, we thank you for that love which is ours today and which we share.
In the Holy Name of our God, we pray.
Amen.
* Carter, Richard; Wells, Samuel; Williams, Rowan. The City is my Monastery: A contemporary rule of life (p. 184). Canterbury Press, Norwich. Kindle Edition.
Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash
Ronan Barry
