I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and
whoever believes in me shall never thirst.John 6:35
Jesus said this
in a discourse immediately after the miracle of the loaves. With this
he clearly shows what it means to eat his body and drink his blood.
While as Catholics, we believe the Bread and Wine we receive is the
Body and Blood of Jesus, we need to look at the deeper meaning of
what it means to receive Jesus in the form of Bread and Wine.
Jesus said when
we come to him, we will not hunger, because we will have eaten his
Body. When we believe in Jesus, we will never thirst, because we will
have drunk his Blood. So what does it mean to come to Jesus? To come
to Jesus means to approach him, to draw near to him. Hebrews 11:6
tells us without faith, it is impossible to please God. For
whoever approaches God must believe that he exists, and that he
rewards those who seek him. Approaching
God is our response to his call to come near him. This is what
pleases God. This is what shows our faith. We do not need a lot of faith. Coming to God is sufficient to please God.
Jesus
also said when we believe in him, we will not thirst. The word
translated as faith, belief and trust has
the same root word in Greek. Some translations use the word belief
instead of faith.
To believe in Jesus then is to trust him.
We
live not by bread, but by every word that comes from the mouth of
God. When we come to Jesus, respond to his call to come to him and
when we approach him in trust, this is how we find life. When
the people asked Jesus how they can do God's work, Jesus replied: this
is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he sent. Life
is not found in material success. Life is not found in power nor is
it found in authority. It is found in Jesus Christ. When we come to
him in trust we will have life. Hebrews 4:16 tells us Let
us approach the Throne of grace with boldness that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
For
the person who seeks more in life, for the person who is not
satisfied with their life, come to Jesus and he will give you life.
Lord, teach me
to trust you. Help me to come to you with boldness so you can help me
in my time of need. When I am troubled, Lord, call me. May I respond
to your call and trust you.
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