＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊ 

Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15

 In the desert the whole community of Israel

Grumbled against Moses and Aaron   and said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of Yahweh in Egypt when we sat down to caldrons of  meat and ate all the bread we wanted, whereas you have brought us to this desert to let the whole assembly die of starvation!”

 Yahweh then said to Moses, “Now I am going to rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the peo­ple are to gather what is needed for that day. In this way I will test them to see if they will follow my Tea­ching or not  “I have heard the complaints of Israel. Speak to them and say: Between the two evenings you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have bread to your heart’s content; then you shall know that I am Yahweh, your God!”

 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp. And in the morn­ing, dew had fallen around the camp.   When the dew lifted, there was on the surface of the desert a thin crust like hoarfrost.   The people of Israel upon seeing it said to one another, “What is it?” for they didn’t know what it was. Moses told them, “It is the bread that Yahweh has given you to eat.”

 

Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54(24b)

The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

 

    ＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Ephesians 4:17, 20-24

 I say to you, then, and with insistence I advise you in the Lord: do not imitate the pagans who live an aim­less kind of life.  But it is not for this that you have followed Christ.   For I suppose that you heard of him and received his teaching which is seen in Jesus himself.   You must give up your former way of living, the old self, whose deceitful desires bring self-destruction.   Renew your­selves spiritually, from inside,   and put on the new self, or self according to God, that is created in true righteousness and holiness.

 

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

John 6:24-35

When they saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.  When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Master, when did you come here?” Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, you look for me, not because you have seen through the signs, but because you ate bread and were satisfied.

 Work then, not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give it to you, for he is the one the Father has marked.”  Then the Jews asked him, “What shall we do? What are the works that God wants us to do?”   And Jesus answered them, “The work God wants is this: that you believe in the One whom God has sent.”

 They then said, “Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe you. ­What sign do you perform?   Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says: They were given bread from heaven to eat.” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.   The bread God gives is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.”  And they said to him, “Give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Read:

Jesus is now being sought by people. He in turn bared their thoughts why they seek Him. They ate and were satisfied with the bread He provided. He now exhorted them to work for the bread that gives eternal life.

Then followed conversations on the bread from heaven that miraculously appeared during the time of Moses. The people asked Jesus if He could top the miraculous event that formed part of their salvation history. Jesus revealed that He is the true bread that does not only supports life but gives life as well.

Reflect:

Hunger is real in real in this world. The hunger could be basic such as hunger for food. For others hunger could be in the realm of love, attention, fame, material goods and the likes. The list could be endless. But the basic hunger for food is where people sometimes turn desperate.

It is their survival after all which is at stake. That is why Jesus tells them in today’s gospel that they search for Him because He gives them bread. They sense material security could be had with Jesus. They have not yet understood that what Jesus offers is far better than their mere basic needs.

He offers them food that will bring eternal life. After hearing what Jesus has to say, the people ask that this food be given to them always. And Jesus reveals that it is He Himself who is the bread that comes from heaven. What happened afterwards is anybody’s guess. But we know that this teaching is hard go accept. Many left. Jesus’ job is not easy. But He continues to do so in season and out of season.

Respond:

Jesus is the bread of life. We must share this bread to others by our example and the words we share. Perhaps we can also throw in between material bread to satisfy the hunger even of only one person. There are two breads that we can share, Jesus the heavenly bread and the material bread of this earth to our brothers and sisters.