Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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We continue our Gospel reading this Sunday taken from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St. John, the “Bread of Life Discourse” of Jesus. Today’s passage recalls that the people murmured about Jesus because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They thought he was crazy. They knew him as the son of Joseph, the carpenter’s son. Who did he think he was? God gift to the world? Well, he was!
There came a point sometime in our lives when we also had to make a decision. Is Jesus crazy, or worse, is he a liar? Or — could it be? — Is he our God and the bread come down from Heaven?
Most people reading this reflection have already made up their minds. We have said, “My Lord and my God” to Jesus.
And, if he is God — as we say he is — then we must also believe him when he says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
This faith in Jesus sometimes needs to be rekindled in us. There is no one who is living who does not need constant rejuvenation. Like every car needs some gas (or another electric charge) to go on, so does every soul.
Sometimes we are like Elijah sitting under the tree in our first reading today. He was tired. He was frustrated. He was spent. And God said to him, just as he says to us: “Get up and eat.”
In other words, keep going. Eat the bread of life (Eucharist) and drink the cup of wine (the Blood of Christ) and find new life, renewal, hope, and food for the journey forward. Now is not the time to stay away from this food, now is the time to rush to receive it.
Jesus is not crazy; he is our God. He is God’s hand that feeds us. May we never reject the hand that feeds us! Instead, may we allow him to comfort us, energize us, and encourage us.
Have a blessed week everyone.