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.”
A consumer society, by definition, is short-sighted and self-centered. They want what they want when they want it. Democratically elected leaders either satisfy the consumer's immediate expectations or cede their positions to others who will. Latter day Hebrews in a modern wasteland forget a glorious past when their stomachs grumble or their feet hurt. They want only food that perishes. They have no faith in food that endures for eternal life.
Unlike consumers and other animals, fully realized human beings remember the past and can foresee the future, albeit dimly. With religious imagination they can see Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee without the boat his disciples used. They would not ask how or when did you get here? The question is not important because they don't need signs and wonders to persuade them of Jesus's identity and mission.
Graced human beings know, love, and believe in the Lord. Created in God's image, we become fully human with God's grace; we pursue him across the sea to be in his presence and receive further instruction. We willingly, eagerly work for that food that endures for eternal life.
As the Covid epidemic lifts -- how many times have we invoked that great day? -- Catholics can return to the observance of Sunday and daily Mass. By nature and custom we eat daily; supernaturally we want to commune with the Lord and his Church daily.
With that being said, we do not forget that Communion is more than eating the Sacred Host and drinking a sip of the Consecrated Wine. It is a continual awareness of God's sovereign presence, that we belong not to ourselves but to the Lord. Despite the apparent simplicity of the Gospel, there is nothing simple about living as disciples in our complex world. We are not satisfied with ideological thinking. We may belong to a political party but we do not follow any party blindly. Because they rely on the whims of consumers who cannot think deeply about anything, their formulas are necessarily simplistic.
We pray, we listen, we study, and we pay attention like Joseph in Egypt who waited for the right moment to return to Israel. We might use Google to search and find answers but we don't trust its versions of truth. Our God is a jealous God who wants our attentive love at all hours. As disciples and emissaries of Christ, we walk by faith and not by blind impulse.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.