Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins by stating, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” His words are an echo of invitation. The same invitation he offered to the Samaritan woman, he now offers to the Jewish people who follow him. This invitation comes at a crucial point in the Gospel because while the people have seen him perform miracles, multiply food for thousands, and even heal the sick and the forgotten, they still don’t believe in him: “But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe.”
How often have we fallen for such a trap ourselves? Often, we seek Jesus when there is trouble or we are in need of a miracle. Are we truly following him because we believe he is the Christ, or just like the Jewish followers, do we follow because it’s in our best interest? In this moment, Christ is also inviting us to examine ourselves and our hearts to know what we are truly seeking. Material things that will only nourish us temporarily or the Lord himself, who can nourish us forever.
This reflection of our interior heart all ties together perfectly at the end of the passage. Jesus could have reprimanded or condemned the crowd for not allowing themselves to have that conversion of heart but instead, the Lord in his mercy and love reaffirmed the desire that God the Father has for all of us, not just once but twice as he says in the end: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” An invitation of hope, love, and everlasting life. All we need to do is believe with all our hearts.
Reflection by Felix, seminarian
Posted in Article for Easter, Daily Reflections