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Gospel: John 6:30-35
The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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In the office, I’m becoming known as the “Amazon pastor.”
Do we need something? Let’s just Amazon it!
Pens, paper, big items, small items, whatever it may be.
The truth is, you can Amazon almost anything.
Imagine if we could Amazon happiness. Buy now with one click! How many of us would add that to our cart?
Name the price. We’d pay it!
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Unfortunately, we know that isn’t possible. Human happiness cannot be purchased because we’re not that shallow; we were made for more.
We need friends; love; support; purpose.
Ultimately, we need intimacy with God.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Unlike Amazon, which may satisfy us for a day, Christ promises to satisfy for a lifetime.
That doesn’t mean that we pray once and are filled. The Lord gives us our “daily bread,” enough grace to satisfy us for a day.
Then we must return to him tomorrow.
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Have I found that Jesus satisfies me?
As the Psalmist says, “Of you, my heart has spoken, ‘Seek his face.’”
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I may be the “Amazon pastor.” If there’s something material I need, that’s often where I’ll shop.
But one thing we all want, which Amazon can never sell, is a share of human happiness. For that, we must turn to Jesus.
As Saint Ignatius of Loyola once said, “Your love and your grace. That is enough for me.”
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Image credits: (1) Open Cart (2) Holly Cardew, Medium (3) Sacred Heart Catholic Parish, Punta Gorda