The last scene from chapter six of St. John’s Gospel is regarded by some as the beginning of the end. People had come to Jesus in large numbers. When he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, many saw his miracles and believed in his name. In Samaria great things happened as an entire town came to believe in Jesus. In Galilee the crowds had walked after Jesus just the day before today’s...
Once again, the word that struck me as I read this Gospel text does not actually appear in the reading. However, I think the word resistance characterizes the reaction of the crowd to Jesus’ proclamation that his flesh is true food and his blood is true drink. According to St. John, Jesus addresses this proclamation to the Jews. At the end of the reading, we learn that Jesus has moved to...
Our relationship with God is a two-way street. This idea is one of the themes that keeps on appearing throughout the Gospel of St. John.
For instance, in today's Gospel selection, we hear Jesus say: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. (John 6:44). I am caught by the interplay between our desire to come to Jesus and the...
Rejection - I Will Not Reject Anyone Who Comes to Me
Rejection can fuel strong emotional response. Throughout the Scriptures we find many different examples. We know that all the prophets, with the exception of Jonah, were rejected by the people to whom they were sent. In the Book of Genesis, we find episodes of brother rejecting brother over and over again. Abel was rejected by Kane, Esau...
Bread is considered a staple food—i.e., a basic dietary item. A person can survive a long time on only bread and water. Bread is such a basic food item that it becomes synonymous for food in general. We even use the phrase “breaking bread together” to indicate the sharing of a meal with someone. Bread also plays an integral part of the Jewish Passover meal. The Jews were to...