Jesus Christ is using an exaggeration to make an extremely important point of divine truth. He says, “Do not work for food that perishes.” What? Wait a minute.
That might be interpreted by some that people should quit their job and wait for God to rain down manna from heaven to eat.
But since we have the Church to guide us, we know that Jesus uses hyperbole: an exaggeration to make a very important point. Of course he wants us to live a productive life by working to serve people‟s true needs and legitimate desires, to make money in order to feed, house and educate ourselves, our families, and to help others do the same. But Jesus also wants us to have more, the more that lasts forever – the sanctifying grace that comes to us in the sacraments, especially in Holy Communion, which is necessary to enter into Heaven – Eternal Life.
To understand Jesus correctly we need to put this phrase of Jesus‟ into context, and we do that by reading this essential phrase, “but (work) for food that endures for eternal life, which I will give you.”
Here is Jesus‟ main point: “Do not put a career, or money, or power, or fame, or comfort ahead of "the food that endures for eternal life.‟”
What is that food that endures for eternal life? It is the food of the holy angels and Saints of heaven; it is the food of God‟s divine life found fully in the Holy Eucharist.
Jesus Christ calls us to work for food that is divine love, found fully in his Catholic Church. And that true love is God because he is the Eternal Author of all life, love and truth.
This work is challenging because there is so much to know about reality that we can get caught up in seek-ing our career, money, power, fame or comfort, and it is easy to put Jesus Christ and his gift of divine food second, or third place in our life.
Jesus Christ does not want us to miss the path to heaven, to be distracted by the world, and for this reason he says, “Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” Jn. 6:27
When we go to meet God, he is not going to ask what our career was, or how much money, power, fame or comfort we had. Rather, he is going to ask us, “Did you work for the food that endures for eternal life, given to you by my Divine Son, through holy Mother Church for the salvation of souls?”
In other words, did you work at nurturing the divine grace within your soul as manifested by the divine virtues of faith, hope and love, and the service of Christ and his Church‟s mission. All these things you received from the Holy Spirit at your baptism, and hopefully were sealed at your Confirmation and nourished by the worthy reception of the other Sacraments which inspire us to share this Good News, this Gospel of Christ and his
Church with others.
Jesus continues to tell the people: “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” And they responded, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
My friends in God, Jesus Christ is here for us in the Holy Eucharist to feed us with God‟s divine life, his sanctifying grace. It does not matter at this point in history if you receive him in your hands that form a throne, or on the tongue; kneeling down or standing up. What is essential is that we receive Jesus Christ – Holy Communion – in the state of grace with humble hearts filled with gratitude and praise, sorrow for our venial sins and divine faith, hope, and love.
It is important to know that when we receive Holy Communion, we are giving witness to others that we believe everything that Jesus Christ teaches us through his Holy Catholic Church, especially that commandment to love God above all things, and our neighbor as our self; even to love our enemies by helping them come into the fulness of Christ‟s life, fully given to us by his Catholic Church.
Yes, receiving the Holy Eucharist in the state of grace brings life to the world. Catholic Christians and other Christians who are on the way to loving the heart of the Christian faith, bring life to the world, not death, but life; not death and fraud like contraception, abortion, illegal drugs, human trafficking, pornography and religious deception.
Rather, we are called to bring life because we uphold the dignity of every human life, God‟s natural way of transmitting human life, and God‟s justice and mercy. We all need God‟s mercy because we have not fully lived this perfect life that awaits us in heaven where there will be no more thirst or hunger, sin or death, for all has been purified by Jesus‟ Paschal Mystery – his life of teaching and suffering, his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven from where he ministers to us.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums it up in paragraph #1324: The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.”
Peace in Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Thomas McCabe
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