Trong chúng ta, không ai thích phải gặp những sửa sai hay bị thách đố những điều khó khăn. Đó là lý do mà những người Do thái đã ném đá thánh Stêphanô. Họ đã tức giận bởi vì ông đã chỉ trích về cách sống của họ, Thay vì họ sửa đổi lối sống của họ như lời giáo huấn của Chúa, thì họ lại đâm ra ganh ghét, thù hận Chúa Giêsu và những người Theo Chúa và đã ra tay tàn bạo dã man.
Có lẽ chúng ta phải tự xét mình vì đô khi trong cuộc sống, chúng ta cũng đã có những lối hành xử chẳng khác gì những người Do thái này, chúng ta không muốn những ý kiến của chúng ta được tôn trọng, sự thoải mái của cái thế giới nhỏ bé của chúng ta không thể thay đổi ngoài ý muốn của chúng ta. Mặc dù thế, chúng ta cũng không thể tấn công bất cứ ai bằng vũ lực, hay bằng những lời nói hộc hằn, độc ác và tàn nhẫn. Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô đã thách thức chúng ta nên tránh né những sự cẩu thả và tham lam của con người. Ngài đã chỉ cho chúng ta thấy những vấn để đó là những thứ gây ra sự đỗ vỡ gia đình và cộng đồng chung của chúng ta. Trớ trêu thay, nhiều Kitô hữu đã bác bỏ thông điệp của ngài một cách giận dữ. Khi chúng ta phản ứng với sự giận dữ và bạo lực, đó là một dấu hiệu cho thấy những lời nói đã đánh đúng vào con tin đen của chúng ta.
Nếu cuộc sống của chúng ta chỉ dựa vào lương thực thế trần và nguồn nuôi dưỡng nào khác ngoài Thiên Chúa để nuôi sống chúng ta, thì chúng ta sẽ phải thất vọng. Nếu chúng ta chấp nhận những ơn lành (món quà) mà Chúa Giêsu đã ban cho chúng ta, Thì ơn thánh này sẽ kéo dài mãi mãi cuộc sống của chúng ta. Khi chúng ta cảm thấy bị thất vọng ê chề, thì chúng ta phải chắc chắn tin rằng chúng ta chỉ có thể dựa vào nguồn ơn nuôi dưỡng và sức mạnh của Chúa Giêsu mà thôi. Lạy Chúa, Xin Chúa luôn luôn nâng đỡ và hướng dẫn chúng con..
People do not like to be challenged. Those who stoned Stephen were outraged and offended by his words of criticism and ironically behaved just as he predicted. We are no different — we do not like our opinions and our comfortable little world challenged. Although we probably won’t physically attack anyone, some respond with vicious and unkind words. Pope Francis challenged human carelessness and greed, pointing out that it is destroying our common home. Ironically, many Christians angrily rejected his message. When we react with anger and violence, it is a sign that the words were right on the mark.
The crowd was amazed that Jesus had fed them miraculously. They wanted more, but Jesus wanted them to understand its significance. He insisted that the manna that their ancestors had eaten was temporary, for they became hungry again. Since he had come from heaven, he brought a far greater source of nourishment and sustenance — himself, as the bread of life. He was unable to make all of them understand. If we draw our life and sustenance from any source other than God, it will let us down. If we accept the gift that Jesus gives us, it will last eternally. When we feel overwhelmed, we should make sure that we are relying on the nourishment and strength of Jesus and that alone.
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.’” John 6:30–31
Today’s Gospel begins the beautiful Bread of Life Discourse, which we will read at Mass for the rest of the week. In this discourse, we read the conversation Jesus had with some of the crowd who, the previous day, were among the more than 5,000 who were miraculously fed by the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. The conversation begins with the crowd’s search for physical sustenance and gradually unfolds into a revelation of a deeper, spiritual nourishment as Jesus points them to the “food that endures for eternal life” (John 6:27).
Jesus had their attention. They understood that He was talking about something mysterious—more than just the miraculous multiplication of loaves and fishes. Therefore, they asked Him for a sign and quoted the Exodus account in which God provided manna in the desert. Understanding their question is key to understanding Jesus’ response.
After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and they wandered in the desert for forty years on their way to the Promised Land, God provided them with manna as “bread from heaven” (cf. Exodus 16:4–34). About 820 years after the Israelites entered the Promised Land and established their kingdom, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C. During this time, the prophet Jeremiah is said to have hidden the Ark of the Covenant, which contained a pot of manna, in a secret place before the Jews were taken into exile (cf. 2 Maccabees 2:5–8). This hidden manna held symbolic significance, and tradition suggests there was a belief that it would miraculously reappear at Passover when the Messiah came, beginning the dawn of the last days and a new era of divine fulfillment.
Some traditions suggest that there was an expectation of the hidden manna’s return, leading the crowd to wonder if Jesus would reveal such treasures—true spiritual gifts that would confirm that He was the long-awaited Messiah. However, the people misunderstood Jeremiah’s actions and the deeper significance of the hidden manna. While the tradition spoke of a miraculous return, Jesus intended to fulfill that prophecy not by uncovering the old Ark but by revealing Himself as the new Manna: “…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” (John 6:32–33).
When Jesus revealed this, the people asked Him, “Sir, give us this bread always” (John 6:34). Unfortunately, the people still did not understand. As they recalled the Exodus story about the manna in the desert, they thought Jesus was promising a new physical food that would sustain them. Therefore, Jesus clearly exclaims, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35). With that, Jesus begins to teach about the Eucharist, a teaching that would find its fulfillment at the Last Supper, where He offered Himself as true food and drink for the life of the world.
As we begin reading the Bread of Life Discourse, we are invited into the greatest mystery of our faith. As a divine mystery—a mysterium fidei—the Eucharist is not something we can figure out by study alone. The Eucharist is God’s Presence into which we are invited to enter, and Jesus must teach us the way. The Eucharist is only understood properly through prayer—a prayer in which God reveals His hidden presence to us.
Reflect today on your understanding of the Eucharist. Only the spiritual Gift of Understanding will enable us to more fully comprehend this most precious Gift. As we read through the Bread of Life Discourse this week, make an effort to pray over the words. Ask for enlightenment. Like the members of the crowd who conversed with Jesus in today’s Gospel, commit yourself to participate in their discussion. Seek to understand so that you will believe and share in the abundant blessings given to those who partake of the Bread of Life.
Bread of Life, You are the true food from Heaven, You are sustenance for my weary soul. As we reflect on Your beautiful and mysterious teaching of the Eucharist, please help me to understand this precious gift so that as I approach the altar, I will do so with renewed reverence, seeking not just physical participation but a spiritual awakening to the reality of Your presence. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I encounter and contemplate today the mystery of suffering and martyrdom. You are the one who brings good out of evil, life out of death, and sacrificial love out of obedient suffering. Bring me into this mystery and help me to ponder what it means in my life today.
1. Stephen’s Interpretation of the History of Israel: Filled with grace and power, Stephen spoke at his trial and interpreted the history of Israel, beginning with Abraham. His goal was to point out the historical episodes of resistance or opposition to the Holy Spirit and how the temple worship was coming to an end after Jesus’ glorious ascension into heaven. Stephen understood that the story of Abraham revealed that God could act outside Jerusalem and its temple: “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia” (Acts 7:2). The story of Joseph “emphasizes how God used the evil done to Joseph by his brothers to bring salvation from famine for those same brothers. It clearly serves as a foreshadowing of Christ's passion, in which God used the far greater evil done to Jesus to bring a far greater salvation to the very people who killed him” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, 120). God uses the crime of Joseph’s brothers to save his brothers and their families. Stephen also says that Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him during their first visit, implying that the Jewish people did not recognize Jesus during his public ministry. During their second visit, however, Joseph’s brothers recognized him. Likewise, the Jewish people have the opportunity to recognize the presence of Jesus in his disciples (see Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 121).
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.” John 6:34–35
Imagine if you were to never grow hungry or never thirst again. On a natural level, this would be an interesting reality. Of course, if you never had physical hunger or thirst, then you may never enjoy the delight of good food and drink. So why would anyone want to lose out on such delights?
Of course, Jesus was not speaking of natural food and drink, He was speaking of supernatural hunger and thirst. And He was not saying that the spiritual food and drink He came to give us would eliminate our ability to delight in spiritual fulfillment. On the contrary, Jesus was saying that the spiritual food and drink He was to provide would result in neverending fulfillment and satisfaction.
Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel will continue to be read throughout this week, the Third Week of Easter. This chapter presents us with what is traditionally called the “Bread of Life Discourse.” It’s John’s deep, mystical and profound teaching on the Most Holy Eucharist.
First of all, it’s useful to look at this Gospel within its context. Recall that on the previous day, Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and a crowd of people who had been fed by Him were now seeking more food. Jesus uses their desire for more food to begin to teach them about the Most Holy Eucharist, and He wants to do the same for you.
Put yourself into this scene. What is it that you hunger and thirst for the most? Perhaps you have plenty of physical food, but perhaps you don’t. If you do, what else do you crave? What do you desire? When you have identified your deepest desires right now, use these desires to allow our Lord to teach you about the Bread of Life. It might be useful to say to our Lord, “Here are my current desires in life…” And then, allow yourself to hear Jesus say to you, “I want to give you so much more. I am what you truly long for. If you come to Me, you will have all your desires fulfilled and more.” This is essentially the conversation Jesus had with this crowd throughout John Chapter 6.
Do you believe that the Most Holy Eucharist is capable of fulfilling you on the deepest level? Too often we approach that Sacrament in a lazy and distracted way. As a result, we often fail to truly receive our Lord on a level that provides this deepest delight and satisfaction.
Reflect, today and throughout this week, upon your approach to Holy Communion. The Eucharist is Christ Himself. It’s a gift that has the potential to not only sustain us in every way but also to draw us into the greatest Heavenly delights. Believe Jesus’ words in this holy chapter of John’s Gospel. For if you deepen your belief in all that Jesus has said, you will begin to realize that all you crave in life will begin to be fulfilled by this precious gift in ways beyond your imagination.
My Eucharistic Lord, You are the Bread of Life. You are all that I desire in life. Give me the grace of understanding, dear Lord, so that I can come to believe all that You have revealed about the Most Holy Eucharist. I do believe, my God. Help my unbelief. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. When the Lord Gave Thanks: Today’s Gospel passage connects the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-15) and the walking on water (John 6:16-21) with the Bread of Life Discourse (John 6:32-58). Here, Jesus prepares his hearers for the teaching that he is the life-giving bread that God gives from heaven. “First, he instructs them that they need to elevate their minds above physical bread, which sustains earthly life, to heavenly bread, which gives eternal life (John 6:26-27). Second, Jesus establishes the discourse’s basic principle: people should work to obtain the bread that lasts for eternal life, which he provides (John 6:27). Third, Jesus introduces the theme of God’s work, which leads to faith in Jesus and the reception of the life-giving bread” (Martin and Wright, The Gospel of John, 120). When John points back to the place of the bread miracle, he uses the verb “eucharistein,” which means “to give thanks.” The Sacrament, instituted by Christ at the Last Supper, is called “Eucharist” because it is an action of thanksgiving to God. The name recalls the Jewish blessings that proclaim – especially during a meal – God’s works: creation, redemption, and sanctification (see CCC, 1328).
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