Monday of the Third Week of Easter, April 20, 2026

Gospel

John 6:22-29

[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]

The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea

saw that there had been only one boat there,

and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,

but only his disciples had left.

Other boats came from Tiberias

near the place where they had eaten the bread

when the Lord gave thanks.

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,

they themselves got into boats

and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

And when they found him across the sea they said to him,

"Rabbi, when did you get here?"

Jesus answered them and said,

"Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me

not because you saw signs

but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

Do not work for food that perishes

but for the food that endures for eternal life,

which the Son of Man will give you.

For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."

So they said to him,

"What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"

Jesus answered and said to them,

"This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."

Reflection

This Gospel shows the crowd actively searching for Jesus after witnessing the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, where He multiplied the loaves and fish so that everyone could eat. They cross the sea, putting in effort, they want to find Him. On the surface, this looks like faith. But Jesus immediately challenges their motivation in saying, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life". They are not seeking Him because they understand who He is, but because He filled their hunger. They are focused on what He can give, not on who He is. He knows their desire is still rooted in earthly needs...hunger, comfort, security, and not yet in true belief.

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life.”

This quote made me question, what exactly is this “food” Jesus is speaking of? At the deepest level, I believe He is speaking about Himself in the Holy Eucharist, which He calls the Bread of Life. But I believe it can also extend beyond the Eucharist into how we live. The “food that perishes” can represent anything we chase that satisfies us only temporarily whether that be success, comfort, recognition, distraction, even good things when they become the ultimate things. These are not necessarily bad, but they cannot last and will not satisfy us in the long run. The “food that endures” is everything that draws us into communion with Him...faith, prayer, the sacraments, acts of love, truth. So this leads me to question, what are we feeding ourselves with? Not just physically, but mentally, spiritually, emotionally. What occupies our time? What do we return to when we are empty? And most importantly, is it leading us closer to Him, or just temporarily filling us?