In today’s Gospel, Jesus is proclaimed as the “Bread of Life” for all who hunger and thirst.  We are often left wanting for more when we put all our hopes in the world’s ability to take away our hunger and satisfy our thirst. For those who are searching for more than what the world offers, Jesus reminds us that it is God who wants to satisfy the longings and hunger of the human heart. 

The Gospel of Saint John presents to us the “Bread of Life discourse” where Jesus begins to explain the love of God that will never abandon us. God feeds both our spiritual and physical hunger. God rains down bread from heaven.  God shows us the reality of heaven and fulfills the promise of eternal life to all who believe. 

The people in today’s Gospel are searching for Jesus. They searched for him, not because of his miracle of feeding them but because they were still hungry. It seems that Their hunger was more than physical. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach them about how God sees our hunger and wants to satisfy the desires of our hearts with food from heaven.

The Gospel of Saint John says, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”  The people recalled the Exodus story of how God fed their ancestors in the desert and continues to feed them and us now through Jesus Christ.

God’s grace transforms us through the Eucharist. We are invited to reflect during this week about our spiritual hunger and thirst and seek out the Lord who always feeds us.