One morning, a six-year-old girl missed her school bus. Being new to the neighborhood, her father—who, though getting late for work—decided to drive her to school, provided she gave him directions. They spent twenty minutes going round in circles and through many long lanes. Finally, they arrived at the school, which was only a few blocks away from their home.
“Why did you take us all over the place when your school is so close to home?” asked her exasperated father.
“Because this is the way the school bus goes,” the little girl replied, with a sense of innocence. “I don’t know any other way!”
There are people who tend to go round and round searching for happiness and contentment when the “school of True Joy and Peace” is very near us.
Today’s Gospel passage is the continuation of the famous miracle of the multiplication of five loaves and two fish, which we read last Sunday. After this miracle, Jesus’s popularity was high. People were crowding wherever He went, expecting to see more miracles and more feeding. However, Jesus was truly concerned about the people who failed to see the meaning of what He had done. He realized they were following Him for the wrong reasons. They appeared to be merely following Him to satisfy their physical hunger with material bread.
Jesus told them, “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” (Jn 6:26-27).
Jesus invited them to “refine” their priorities in life and to “re-sort” their concerns toward Him and His Kingdom if they really wanted to follow Him.
The same exhortation is being rendered to us today: to reevaluate our priorities in life and to refocus our concerns toward Him and His Kingdom as followers of Jesus.
As disciples of Jesus, an honest evaluation of our priorities should help us to put God and His Kingdom first. From time to time, we need to reevaluate our priorities and ask ourselves, “Am I seeking God and His Kingdom above all else?” In this process, we should always find time for God and prayer. As we have just celebrated the National Eucharistic Revival, it underscores the importance of placing Sunday worship at the center of our lives. The Gospel reminds us that Jesus ought to be the greatest treasure of our lives, for only He can bring the deepest satisfaction and joy.
Explaining this gospel passage, Pope Francis said that we, too, risk falling into the same narrow mentality, where we seek God only for our own needs and immediate desires. This urges us to ask, “Why do we seek the Lord?” and to reflect on our true motivations. Are we like the people who seek God primarily when we need Him and forget about Him when we are satisfied? The Pope emphasized that while it is right to present our needs before God, we must understand that the Lord first and foremost “wishes to live with us in a relationship of love.” In response to our prayers, He “acts far beyond our expectations.”
In today’s Gospel reading, the crowds ask Jesus what they can do to accomplish the works of God. Jesus answers that “the work of God is to welcome the One whom the Father has sent, that is, Himself, Jesus.” The key here is “welcoming Jesus into our lives, living a story of love with Him.” Only Jesus can purify our faith and strengthen our “loving relationship” with Him.
Today, Let us welcome Jesus as the Bread of Life and, starting from our friendship with Him, learn to love each other freely and abundantly. As we embrace Jesus as the Bread of Life, may our closeness with Him help us to live joyfully. May the Lord bless our efforts as we strive to spread this joy through our parish ministries and outreach programs.
I was greatly humbled by your generous response to the Joyful Living and Grateful Giving campaign. I would like to remind you of the promises and commitments you made during the campaign. Your increased giving helps us continue the work of the Lord in our parish through our ministries, such as worship, teaching, strengthening the faith, and reaching out to those in need.
Jesus, the Bread of Life—especially through His Holy Word and in the Holy Eucharist—invites us to wholly dedicate our lives to seeking Him alone, where we find the source of lasting joy and peace.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, Patron Saint of Theologians and Founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), says:
“The more a person loves God, the more reason he has to hope in Him!”
“He who desires nothing but God is rich and happy!”