Every summer, the Church, in her wisdom, gives us several weeks in a row of Our Lord talking about the Eucharist and its centrality in our lives. The Bread of Life discourse is an annual reminder of who we are as a people: we are nourished by the Lord, healed
by this pledge of eternal life, and sent out to bring others to share in the joy we have received. A true disciple is a beggar who knows where to find bread and shares that with other beggars. We recognize our own need for Jesus and are generous in sharing Him with others.

There are ways that the Church, as the authentic interpreter of the scriptures and the faith, asks us to prepare for receiving the Most Blessed Sacrament. We should not be aware of grave sin that we have not confessed, we fast for an hour, we affirm our
belief in the teachings of the Church, and we receive Him with reverence and gratitude. But in addition to these necessary steps, Our Lord’s actions in today’s Gospel shows us two things we have to do in order to receive the grace He wants us to have from this
Sacrament. The people who benefitted from the Bread of Life discourse are the ones who were willing to first search for Jesus, and second, were willing to follow even when they didn’t understand perfectly.

The beginning of today’s Gospel tells us that when the people noticed that Jesus was no longer there in their midst, they went so far as to get into boats to seek Him out. They might have done this out of somewhat self-serving desires. Perhaps they wanted physical food, or they knew that they might be healed if they could find Jesus. But regardless of
why they sought Him out, they knew that they wanted to be in His presence, and they were willing to sacrifice to do so. Second, when they ask Him to give them the bread from heaven that will end their hunger forever, they have to adapt to the fact that what He is offering them is not mere bread, but the spiritual fulfillment of their desire for eternal life. They were looking for a free meal, and He offers them eternity. The people’s reaction to that news is based on how much they trust Jesus and are willing to receive more from Him than they were willing to ask.
 
As we continue passing through these important verses of scripture, we should seek to imitate these two characteristics of those who benefitted from Our Lord’s teaching: first seek Him, and then receive what He offers. It might not be what we were asking for in the first place, but we must trust that Jesus will always provide what we need, even in the
moments when we wanted something different. We have the option to either be like those who go away grumbling because they reject Jesus’ words, or to be like St. Peter who firmly stands by the Lord, even with imperfect understanding, as he says “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Take some time in the coming weeks to reflect on the role of the Eucharist in your life, and to ask God to increase your desire for it. Then, ask Him for the grace to be open to receive the gifts, joys, and crosses that He asks us to take from Him. If we are generous in doing this, God is never to be outdone in generosity.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McC