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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? 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 people would add that to their cart?
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Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy. Human happiness cannot be purchased because human beings were made for more.
We need friends; love; support; purpose… 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 transactional needs quickly, Christ promises to satisfy us forever.
That doesn’t mean that we pray once and are filled. The Lord gives us our “daily bread,” meaning he gives us enough grace to satisfy us for today… Then we must return to him tomorrow.
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Do I go to Jesus daily? Does he satisfy the deepest part of my heart?
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I may be the “Amazon pastor,” but one thing we all want, which Amazon can never sell, is a share of human happiness. For that, we must turn to the Lord.
As Saint Ignatius of Loyola once said, “Give me your love and your grace, O LORD. That is enough for me.”
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Image credits: (1) The FTC Takes on Amazon, The New Yorker (2) Adobe Stock (3) X