Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr Dominic’s Homily

You rarely get a straight answer with Jesus. And quite often he will answer your question with another question.

Or else he won’t answer your question directly but answer the deeper question that you really should be asking - and that you know you really are asking if you think about it.

“Rabbi – when did you come here?” They were expecting him to say something like “Oh about half an hour ago actually” But instead he says:

“I tell you most solemnly, you are not looking for me because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. Do not work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to eternal life, the kind of food the Son of Man is offering you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.”

We live as hungry people in a hungry world. Everyone is looking for something that will sustain and nourish life, something that will fill and satisfy. Everyone is looking for bread of some kind. The problem isn’t that we are hungry, but the problem is the kind of bread we are eating.

The bread we eat actually reveals something about our nature. Many of us eat the bread of having to be right and get our own way. Some eat the bread of consistently pushing our own particular agenda. Some eat the bread of never listening to others but expecting to be heard themselves. We can eat the bread of hurt feelings and resentment. Of playing the wounded soldier.

Sometimes we eat the bread of loneliness, fear, and isolation. There are times we eat the bread of sorrow or guilt. Other times we eat the bread of power and control or even revenge. We eat all kinds of bread.

Not all of this bread sustains and grows life. Not all bread is nutritious. If you want to know the nutritional value of the bread you read the details on the side of the packaging. You have to look beyond the bread. Where did it come from? What are its ingredients? Is our bread outdated? Is it time to change the bread for fresh bread?

We end up asking the question of whether there is anything in this life that can truly satisfy our deepest hunger and longing.

There are two fundamental types of hunger - physical and spiritual. Jesus alone can satisfy the eternal hunger of our hearts, mind, and spirit. Our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.

We hear that the people have shown up hungry. Just the day before Jesus fed 5000 of them with five loaves and two fish.

But they don’t care about yesterday’s miracle, or give thanks for God’s generosity, or even wonder who Jesus is. They’re probably worried about missing out on another miracle and some free food! It’s human nature.

They saw no sign, no miracle, in yesterday’s feeding. They saw nothing more than fish and bread. They either refused to see the miracle or were unable to see beyond the fish and bread. They are interested only in their own appetites and Jesus knows it.

The people are concerned for their stomachs. However, Jesus is concerned for their souls. The people want to feed themselves with bread. Jesus wants to feed them with God. “Do not work for the food that perishes,” he tells them, “but for the food that endures for eternal life.” The food that endures is Jesus himself.

When we truly choose to believe in Jesus we live differently. We see ourselves and one another as persons created in the image and likeness of God rather than as obstacles in our path or issues to be dealt with. We prefer to contemplate rather than calculate. We realize that our problems do not define us. We see life as a mystery to be lived rather than a problem to be solved.

We trust the silence of prayer rather than the words of argument. We relate with kindness and vulnerability rather than anger and defensiveness. We listen for God’s voice rather than our own.

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

He is offering himself to the people. He is the true bread that nourishes and sustains all life.

So we have the choice in this consumerist world of so many different types of bread we want to eat. Let’s make sure it’s bread that sustains both us both physically and spiritually.