DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Thursday, August 9, 2018

When the crowds found Jesus on the other side of the Lake of Galilee, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “You are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of bread. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on Him that God the Father has set his seal of approval and authority.” Then they said to Him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” – John 6:25-28

The crowds were hungry.  Christ initiated a miracle of providence by sharing what he had with the massive crowd.  And now the crowd crossed the expansive lake of Galilee looking for yet another miracle … for the people in those times were hungry.  And to this hungry crowd, hungry for both bread and a measure of hope, Christ said … “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.”

The crowds were hungry for bread for these were hard times as the Roman occupation was depleted them of their resources through both taxation and exploitation.  And thus, this crowd was also desperately hungry for someone to liberate the land, a Messiah, a Savior, the Son of Man who would come to make things “right“.  And so as the crowd came to satisfy their hunger, Christ declared, “I am He, this Son of Man who comes to makes things right and to return your land to you.  But …”

Yes, Christ redirects their hope in a way they had not considered and quite possibly cared not to consider.  You must find your Hope that goes beyond daily sustenance, but rather you must set your Hope on that which goes on Forever.

“Give us this day our daily bread,” so Christ prayed and in remembrance and for the reason on the ongoing need, we pray today.  Yet, I believe Christ also provides us on a daily basis something I term, “the Sense of Forever” in our daily living.  In Christ, we are invited to join with Him in a way of life that is filled with the values and practices of the Heavenly Life, the Forever Life.  For Christ prayed and we do so in remembrance, “Your  Realm that is arriving but not yet fully arrive, Your wishes and ways that we are committed to fulfill, here on earth in the manner which it is done in Heaven.”  Or as is the more traditional wording …”Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Loved Ones, if we so choose … we can daily live with this sense of Forever in our hearts and in our loving, in our grace and in our mercy, in our sharing, in our giving.  We can abide within the radiance of Heaven … if we daily seek to feast on the Bread of Life.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz