“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate the bread and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes, but for that which endures to eternal life of food labor.
These verses come from Gospel of John, one of the four gospel narratives in the New Testament. According to the Catholic Answers website, although the exact author is unknown, it is most commonly identified as the Apostle John.
In these verses, “we discover a profound moment that goes to the heart of human desire and the essence of our faith journey,” said Cody, founder and CEO of the Fellowship of Colorado Catholic University Students (FOCUS) Curtis Martin, said Catholic outreach programs on college campuses.
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The Eucharist, Martin said, “is the true and substantial body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ.”
Martin says that these verses contain the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and the compounding of this miracle.
FOCUS founder and CEO Curtis Martin told FOCUS Digital News that passages in the Gospel of John “speak directly to the core of human desire and the essence of our faith journey.” (iStock; Focus)
“People witnessed and benefited from the miracle of the loaves and fishes, and they traveled across the oceans in search of Jesus,” he said.
“However, their motivation was elevated by Jesus Himself, who challenged them not to seek perishable food but to seek food for eternal life.”
Martin said these verses are a “clarion call to all of us” and encourage people to “examine why we follow Christ.”
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“Are we just attracted to Him because of what He can do for us, or do we sincerely seek and accept a relationship with Him?” he said.
“When we go to church, do we just go through the motions, or do we focus on the source and pinnacle of the Eucharist – the mystery and wonder?”
One faith leader said Jesus challenged the crowds to “seek not perishable food but food of everlasting life”. (iStock)
Christ’s instruction “not to work for perishable food” should prompt a person to refocus his attention—”from the temporal to the eternal,” Martin said.
“In our culture, where instant gratification is often prioritized, this message is counter-cultural and asks us to look away from the fleeting and focus on the eternal,” he said.
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Martin said that in his work with college students through FOCUS, he has “met countless young people and adults who are searching for meaning and purpose.”
Many of these students, he said, are “caught in a whirlwind of academic and social pressures, social expectations and the pursuit of success as defined by worldly standards.”
One faith leader who oversees campus programming said many college students today are “caught in a whirlwind of social and academic pressures.” (iStock)
“Yet,” Martin said, “there remains a deep, often unspoken desire for something more.”
It is this hunger that Jesus is expressing in these verses, he said.
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“We find it wherever we go – we can experience the longing for communion with Him in the Eucharist.”
Martin said these Bible verses “challenge us to prioritize our spiritual nourishment.”
The Eucharist is the “source and pinnacle” of the Christian faith, a Catholic leader has said. (Jorge Castellanos/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“In a world obsessed with material gain and temporary pleasure, Jesus offers an alternative: eternal life through a relationship with Him,” he said.
“This passage reminds us that our true sustenance comes from the bread of life, from Jesus himself.”
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When reflecting on these gospel passages, Christians should ask themselves whether they are making time for Jesus every day and make sure prayer is a priority.
“Are we refocusing our attention on the Eucharist and making Jesus a priority in our lives?”
“Are we refocusing our attention on the Eucharist and making Jesus a priority in our lives? The answers to these questions are vital and will help us focus on Jesus in every chapter of our lives,” he explain.
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“Let us desire the bread of life, the Eucharist – and find our satisfaction in Him, who alone can satisfy our deepest longings.”
This truth, Martin said, “will not only transform our own lives, but will serve as a beacon of hope and sustenance to a world in desperate need of the bread of life.”
