I am the bread of life.

Christ is Risen!

"I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven that a man may eat of it, and not die." (John 6:48-50)

Bread is a substance known and used by almost every society on earth. Whether it is purchased from a grocery store, bought from a bakery, or baked on a stone slab in a villager's clay oven, bread is a staple of our daily diet. By this same token, bread is also a food which is enjoyed by all. Rarely does anyone refuse bread, unless they are actively trying to cut out carbs....and even then that's a struggle!

Therefore, Jesus uses bread as analogy to denote man's dependence on Him. He goes on to remind the Israelites that their ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but eventually died. The five thousand who filled the mountainside to hear Jesus preach and were miraculously feed through our Lord’s generosity, they, too, would eventually die. Yet Jesus boldly proclaims that those who "eat of Him" will never die, but have life eternal. Therefore, Jesus becomes the antithesis of the God's manna which only offered earthly sustenance. He is also the anti-type of man’s bread which must be labored for daily. All that these "breads" were to the people, Jesus far exceeds. And all who partake of Him, will never die!

Fr. John