Gospel Reflections 800x800 gold outline

Today's Gospel: John 6, 44-51

People are obsessed with bread, myself included!  Have you ever stood in the grocery store bread aisle - I swear there are 65 types of bread.  In trying to eat healthy, I can never decide if I should buy whole grain or 12 grain, or ancient grains?  Now, there is usually a gluten free option and a variety of organic brands.  And what about the sourdough? I love sourdough!

My son asked me for white bread the other day and I thought NO, you can only eat whole wheat (as I’m sure I’ve been told there is no nutritional value in white bread.)  But he’d been having a rough day and I thought what the heck, one loaf won’t hurt him.  As I put it in the cart however, I did start to worry about what the teacher would think when she saw his white bread sandwich the next day.  It seems like society teaches that no one in their right mind buys white bread any more, like there aren't bigger things in life to worry about, such as childhood anxiety and depression.

In this Gospel, Jesus talks about the bread of life.  He discusses how our ancestors ate the bread, the Manna, that God sent them, but in the end they still died. They had been given bread, but they didn't have Jesus who is the Bread of Life.  In the Eucharist, Christ gives us everything we need to live. We receive our total satisfaction and fulfillment from Him.

Ponder:

Are we choosing to eat the Bread of Life or are we trying to fill ourselves with the "white bread" that only satisfies our temporary hunger but not our eternal hunger?

Pray:

Jesus, we thank you for giving us the Eucharist, and we yearn to receive you more often in the Eucharist at Mass.

 

Copyright 2016 Courtney Vallejo

Courtney Vallejo is a Catholic wife and mother who lives in California. She and her husband are raising their two adopted children. She holds a Master's degree in Film Production and a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. She also writes for her own blog, acatholicwife.blogspot.com.