Listen

Jesus told them, “I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

They said, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!”

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:32-35

Think

I have a friend who ate a plastic strawberry. He mistook the centerpiece on the dining room table for a fruit container. Of course, we do not allow him to forget that story. When we are hungry and have not eaten for a long time, we may act without thinking. This was what happened to my friend. I believe this can also happen to us in our spiritual lives: we act without thinking and eat false food. We must fast from the false!

Jesus presents himself to his disciples as the one who gives life and takes away hunger and thirst. God as creator has given us in Jesus what will fill our lives the most: unconditional love. What happens is that at times, we want to satisfy our hunger impulse with fake food that is going to be bad for us. We must fast from rumors and feed on the truth. We must fast from envy and feed on love. We must fast from hatred and nurture patience. Jesus wants to fill our lives with true love.

Daniel Andrés Rivera Rosado

Question to Ponder:

What “fake food” do you sometimes use to fill you?

Pray

God, you are my true bread, who fills me.

Help me to flee from the false and focus on your truth.

Amen.

Go

Think about what people want. Now think about what they need. In which one can you show God?