John 6:22-29

Acts 6:8-15

Psalm 11923-24, 26-27, 29-30

John 6:22-29

[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]

The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea

saw that there had been only one boat there,

and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,

but only his disciples had left.

Other boats came from Tiberias

near the place where they had eaten the bread

when the Lord gave thanks.

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of the Eucharist. I believe it truly is the food that endures for eternal life. I ask that you deepen my faith and that, in my life, I always look for your Son, Jesus Christ.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Sign Points to Something Greater: The Gospel of John tells us that, after the sign of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus says to the people that they are looking for him, not because they saw the sign and now believe in him, but because they were filled with bread. The people are mistaken because they continue to seek the bread that perishes and not the food that gives eternal life. Signs – like the changing of water to wine, the healing of the official's son, the healing of the crippled man, and the multiplication of the loaves – point to something greater. The sign of the multiplication of the loaves of bread points to Jesus as the Bread of Life and to the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

2. The Sign Points to the Eucharist: When the people ask Jesus what they have to do to accomplish the works of God, Jesus responds that the work of God for them is to believe in him. Later on, John will explain this: “I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father” (John 14:12). The works, signs, and wonders accomplished by Jesus will also be done by his disciples. And this is seen clearly in the opening chapters of the Acts of the Apostles: Peter heals a lame beggar (Acts 3:7) and the Apostles themselves work many signs and wonders and heal all who come to them (Acts 5:12-16). Jesus’ promise goes beyond physical healing. Jesus’ disciples will do even greater signs and works. These works are the Sacraments of the Church that give eternal life. The Eucharist is the Sacrament to which the other six are ordered (CCC, 1211). Saint Thomas Aquinas writes that Holy Orders are ordered to the consecration of the Eucharist, Baptism to the reception of the Eucharist, Confirmation strengthens us not to abstain from this sacrament, Penance and Anointing prepare us to receive the Eucharist worthily, and Matrimony signifies the union of Christ with the Church, of which union the Eucharist is a figure (Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, III, q. 65, a. 3).

3. Stephen’s Witness to Christ: In the First Reading, Stephen is presented as a model of a believer who accomplishes the works of God. He believes in the one whom God the Father has sent to save the world from sin and death. He preaches without fear because he knows that his message is from the Holy Spirit. Stephen takes up the difficult theme of freedom from the old Law of Moses and the end of the old Temple worship. The people, the elders, and the scribes accuse him of “saying things against this holy place and the law.” Something similar happens at Jesus’ trial, when they accuse him of saying “I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands” (Mark 14:58). What Jesus actually said was: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Only after Jesus was raised from the dead did his disciples come to understand that he was speaking about the temple of his body. The risen, glorified body of Jesus is the New Temple, where God is worshiped in spirit and in truth. The Old Testament sacrifices are completed and surpassed by the Eucharist. Here, on earth, the sacrifice of the New Temple is the Eucharistic sacrifice. In this great sacrament we enter into communion with Jesus, we are separated from sin, and we are filled with grace. In the mass, we are united with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate the heavenly glory of eternal life (CCC, 1326).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd and I am part of your flock. You are the Sheep Gate and I choose to go through you to the pasture of eternal life. You are the Bread of Life and I am humbled to be invited to partake of this bread. You are the true Vine and I am a branch united to you. You are the light of the world; shine your light in and through me today. You are the Resurrection and the Life, raise me up to new life with you. You are the way, the truth, and the life; lead me and guide me to the dwelling of eternal life.

Living the Word of God: How do I prepare myself to receive the Eucharist? What can I do better to prepare for this great Sacrament? Is there anyone I can invite to come to mass with me on Sunday?