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Gospel, John 6:24-35 
 24 When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?' 26 Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. 27 Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal. 28 Then they said to him, 'What must we do if we are to carry out God's work?' 29 Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is carrying out God's work: you must believe in the one he has sent.' 30 So they said, 'What sign will you yourself do, the sight of which will make us believe in you? What work will you do? 31 Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' 32 Jesus answered them: In all truth I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; 33 for the bread of God is the bread which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 34 'Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread always.' 35 Jesus answered them: I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst.



Reflection: 
A THOUGHT FOR THIS SUNDAY’S GOSPEL: Jesus presents himself as the Bread of Life; He is the Bread that will satisfy us and will never leave us hungry. We recognize in the Gospel our role from those who seek Jesus after they were filled by bread from the miracle of the multiplication of loaves. Like them, we want Jesus giving us bread that perishes. In this life, we always come to God to ask for something that will satisfy us temporarily. However, if God does not grant, we are like more those whining Israelites in the first reading today, who are willing still to return to the Egypt just to fill their tummy with bountiful bread and meat mindless if it would cost them to slavery. The figure of our readings today can relate to us as much as we ourselves can sacrifice our relationship with the Lord just to go back to the old enslaving life of sin and illicit pleasures of the world. Our Lord challenges us today in the Gospel: Let us not stop at the mirage of worldly pleasure derived from the perishable bread. Jesus tells us to believe in Him as sent by the Father for the Father has sent the Bread of Life himself; He is the Bread that fulfils every longing; the Word of God that quenches every thirst. We are thus challenged to turn our backs to the old pleasure of perishable bread and to accept in faith Jesus who is the Bread that fulfils in fullness every human existential longing. Happy Sunday and God bless us all! 


Contributor:
Fray Ric Anthony Reyes, OSA is 5th year Simply Professed Friar in Augustinian formation. He is currently having his Pastoral exposure in Sta. Ana Sub-parish, Burgos, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte, Philippines. 
 









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