18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B
“Whoever comes to me will never hunger.”
The clock in a restaurant window had stopped at a few minutes past noon. One day a patron asked the owner, ‘Do you know that the clock in your window has stopped?’ The owner answered, ‘It hasn’t been working for months. But you would be surprised to know how many people look at that clock, think they are hungry, and come in to get something to eat.”
There is more to life than satisfying our physical hunger. That is what Jesus is trying to tell people in today’s gospel. He said, “You are not looking for me because you have seen signs but because you have eaten your fill of the loaves.”
A sign always points to something else. An exit sign tells us how to leave a building or a parking lot. Smoke tells us there is fire somewhere. A no smoking sign tells us not to smoke. Jesus wanted to tell people that the miracle of the loaves pointed to something more. But the people didn’t see that. They didn’t know it was a sign. They were content with having their bellies filled. That is why he said, “You are not looking for me because your have seen signs but because you eaten your fill of the loaves.” The people only wanted what they wanted; not what Jesus wanted to give them.
In our relationship with God, we must ask ourselves, are we interested only in getting God to give us what we want, or are willing to work so that God can give us what God wants for us?
The word “work” here is very important! Jesus also said, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” Then the people ask an interesting question: “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” So, Jesus tells them, the work is that you believe in the one he sent.” OH! is that all there is to it?
What Jesus meant was that faith takes work! It is not a cakewalk, it is not for the faint hearted, it is not easy and takes perseverance. Keeping the commandments, praying when it feels like no one is listening, going to Mass when we would rather stay in bed, believing in what we cannot see, loving people who are not very lovable, forgiving those who hurt us,
trusting that God really loves us when we feel the world is down on us, keeping our faith in the face of scandals in the Church. These are just some of the things that take real work in our faith lives. We cannot accomplish anything worthwhile in life without work – and that’s true of our faith also. We’ll get out of our faith what we put into it. A current attitude among many is that God is good and we’re all going to heaven in the end, no matter what, so why sweat it? Well, God is good, and he tried to guide us in the right direction, and he even died on the cross to help us get there, but God cannot save us if we are too lazy or too busy or too indifferent to our part, to do the work that we need to do.
The other line in today’s gospel that is important to remember is this: “Whoever comes to me will never hunger. . .” We have all felt hunger at one point in our life. Maybe not as hungry as some people in other parts of the world, but we have felt hunger, and it hurts! Sometimes we fill that hunger with “junk food” that is not good for us and not healthy. Having been on the Nutrisystem diet now for almost a year, I too have cravings for a bit of junk food every now and then, and when I have devoured it then I immediately realize that it wasn’t so good for me.
Our society offers us lots of spiritual junk food too. It nourishes us momentarily but still leaves our inner person feeling empty and hungry for something more. Jesus promises to fill our inner selves so that we can know true fulfillment and peace when he tells us “Whoever comes to me will never hunger…”
And that is what brought us here today; to be nourished for the journey!
He is true the bread that gives life to the world!
Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
John 6:24-35