Monday of the Third Week of Easter, May 5, 2025

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 takes place after the “Feeding of the Multitude" where Jesus performed a miracle to feed the thousands of hungry people. With this context it makes sense why the crowd would be chasing after Him as they just witnessed an extraordinary miracle. However, Jesus pointed out how they were focused on the wrong thing…they were seeking him not for who he truly was, but for the temporary satisfaction they received. His response was this, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you”. This line stood out to me because it speaks to the way we often fill our lives with things that seem to be urgent but are ultimately fleeting. “Food”, could be anything we are consuming in our lives… as in a symbol of anything we consume or chase after in search of meaning whether it be media, work, money, or even attention or success. These things can nourish us temporarily, but they do not last, and they often leave us hungering for more.

Jesus invites us to refocus our energy to the food he can provide that will give us everlasting life. This “food that endures” is his presence, his truth, and ultimately, the relationship we build with him through faith. What food are we consuming?