Whoever comes to me will never hunger

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Collect

Draw near to your servants, O Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness, that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide, you may restore what you have created and keep safe what you have restored. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Ex 16:2-4, 12-15

I will rain down bread from heven for you.

A reading from the Book of Exodus

The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
The Israelites said to them,
   “Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt,
   as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into this desert
   to make the whole community die of famine!”

Then the LORD said to Moses,
   “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;
   thus will I test them,
   to see whether they follow my instructions or not.

“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites.
Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,
   and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,
   so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.”

In the evening quail came up and covered the camp.
In the morning a dew lay all about the camp,
   and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert
   were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.
On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, “What is this?”
   for they did not know what it was.
But Moses told them,
   “This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.”

The word of the Lord.

Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54

R. :

℟. (24b) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

What we have heard and know,
   and what our fathers have declared to us,
we will declare to the generation to come
   the glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength
   and the wonders that he wrought.

℟. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

He commanded the skies above
   and opened the doors of heaven;
he rained manna upon them for food
   and gave them heavenly bread.

℟. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels,
   food he sent them in abundance.
And he brought them to his holy land,
   to the mountains his right hand had won.

℟. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Eph 4:17, 20-24

Put on the new self that has been created in God’s way.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians

Brothers and sisters:
I declare and testify in the Lord
   that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do,
   in the futility of their minds;
   that is not how you learned Christ,
   assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him,
   as truth is in Jesus,
   that you should put away the old self of your former way of life,
   corrupted through deceitful desires,
   and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
   and put on the new self,
   created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel
Lk 7:16

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jn 6:24-35

Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
   they themselves got into boats
   and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
   “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
   “Amen, amen, I say to you,
   you are looking for me not because you saw signs
   but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
   but for the food that endures for eternal life,
   which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
   “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
   “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
So they said to him,
   “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
   He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
   “Amen, amen, I say to you,
   it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
   my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
   and gives life to the world.”
So they said to him,
   “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them,
   “I am the bread of life;
   whoever comes to me will never hunger,
   and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection

It would not be the first time that, in the same way as these Jews, I sought Jesus only when I needed him or when I found myself in a desperate situation, after I had searched for but could not find anyone else to turn to. But surprisingly, when I turn to Jesus, he is always there for me and always provides me with the relief that cannot be given by nobody but him. Jesus who quenches our thirst and hunger for love, for appreciation and attention that are in each and every one of us. How consoling it is to know that we can always find Jesus even if we search for him only when we need him. What security and peace of mind. We are assured that the past is a guarantee for the future, because Jesus does not change. He remains forever, love itself that is not influenced by any other factor, he is not subject to nothing else.

Jesus knew immediately why they were eagerly seeking him. He knew they were searching for him because they ate and were satisfied with the bread he had multiplied. But while he was clear with them, he gave them some advice worth more that the bread that they ate and satisfied them – because that bread passes and finishes like every other material thing. Nothing lasts forever except he who has always existed – God – and the good works that we do for our neighbour by which we will one day be judged. What worth is it to obtain titles and riches that receive admiration from the world without knowing God who fills our void and quenches our thirst. Jesus is the bread that sustains us along this journey of life. So let us draw near to partake of this bread so that we will never be hungry.

Prayer

Jesus, you know what is in our hearts. Help us to seek you always and to learn to depend on you only in every moment of our life, because only you can offer us security and peace of mind. Amen.

 

Ara l-Qari tal-Ħdud li għaddew