"Work for Food that Endures for Eternal Life"

Today's Mass Readings

In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the crowd to work for food that endures for eternal life. Jesus is speaking about the Eucharist. The rest of this passage, entitled the Bread of Life Discourse, from John’s Gospel, deals with the Eucharist, where Jesus explains to the crowd and to His disciples that His flesh is real food, that His blood is real drink, and that both must be eaten and drunk. He is the bread of life. The crowd understands some of what Jesus is saying. They noticed that Jesus mentioned working for food, and that there was a divine element involved in the work. So they ask Jesus, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus informs them that they must believe in Him, in the one God sent. Faith and the Eucharist are intimately tied to one another. One must only receive the Eucharist in faith. At the same time, the Eucharist feeds faith. Let us, during this Easter season, feed our faith at the table of the Lord’s table. Let us be a Eucharistic people, called to share God’s love with the world.