Скачать или смотреть 19/04/2021 Reflection 1149 ( Fr Arul Joseph OP on John

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We live in a consumerist world where humankind runs towards the satisfaction of the individuals wants. Of course it is not a mistake because the survival of life in this world demands it. But one thing that always echoes in our conscience is: Are we travelling in a right path or with a right intention?
In the book of Ex 16:3, we read that the people of Israel murmur against Moses looking towards their physical hunger and in a similar way in the book of Numbers 11:4 the people of Israel crave for meat. In all these places, people forgot that they were wonderfully rescued by God from the hands of Pharaoh to the Promised Land.
Similarly, we see in today’s Gospel, people search Jesus, for the bread which he multiplied in abundance, rather than desiring to experience the power of God in their lives. So here people’s intention was not right. And Jesus condemns them saying, why do you long for the food that perishes and not for the food that endures forever?. There are two types of hunger: Physical and spiritual.
We are human beings and long for food to satisfy physical hunger and give importance and work for it. At the same time, what about our spiritual life? we are also spiritual beings, need to satisfy our spiritual hunger too. Spiritual hunger can be felt in the emptiness of heart, dissatisfaction, dryness in our faith, meaningless in life, and loneliness, and so on. So where can we find a solution for all these? It is in Jesus alone! but very often we satisfy spiritual hunger from worldly things which are actually temporary in nature. This is what
St. John Chrysostom says,
“Men are nailed to the things of this life”
In today’s first reading, we see the seizing of St. Stephen. The first one to give up his life for Christ, after the resurrection of Christ. His satisfaction was not based on meeting the worldly ends, rather in Christ alone. We understand from his life that he was filled with faith and spirit of God, that he was ready to sacrifice his life for Christ.
Most of the time, we run to God for material gains, self-centered intentions, and once satisfied, we tend to give a break to God then again the same thing continues. As Jesus tells the people in today’s Gospel, they look for me because of bread not in terms of faith. St. Stephen also teaches that all our needs can be fulfilled in God alone because he is the one who knows our needs. This is what Jesus says in John 6: 35 “He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst” Let us seek God in our lives and give priority for him.


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