John 6:22-29

Reflection

The people realize Jesus and his disciples have traveled back to Capernaum, so they follow and ask why he left them. Jesus tells them they seek him not because of the signs he had just performed, but because he gave them food. He goes on to tell them to not labor for food that perishes, but to work for the eternal food, which means believing in the Son of Man.

The crowd of people pursued Jesus for a misguided reason. Instead of the miraculous sign he performed of feeding 5,000 people, they are more eager for the food itself. Their enthusiasm for Jesus lies in their stomachs, not their hearts. We can also be like this, taking pleasure in what the Lord has done for us, but not necessarily in the Lord himself.

He asks us to believe in him and labor for eternal life, not this temporal world. Our faith should be based in him, literally – the Eucharist. The Lord certainly does great wonders for us in our lives, but we must remember to focus on Jesus himself – as the source of those wonders – and place our joy accordingly.

Saint of the Day

St. Hilary of Arles: AD 401 – 449

“Complain as little as possible of your wrongs, for as a general rule you may be sure that complaining is sin…because self-love always magnifies our injuries.” St. Hilary