We have a beautiful quotation from Mother Teresa about “the bread of life” she says “Jesus has made himself the Bread of life to give us life. Night and day, He is there. If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that Adoration.” In the Gospel reading, Jesus declares himself as the “Bread of life” This bread of life he offers, is none else than the very life of God. This bread of life gives spiritual nourishment and eternal satisfaction to all who believe in Him.
Before this claim, Jesus had been confronted with a crowd that asked for a sign, seeking a tangible proof of his authority and provision. They were recalling the bread their ancestors received while in the wilderness. Their minds were stuck on material proof that would calm and settle their doubts. Jesus responds by shifting the focus from that physical bread, the manna in the desert, to the spiritual nourishment who is himself. He is the sign, the sacrament of God’s presence. He points to himself as the bread of life, as the one who can satisfy their deepest hunger and thirst.
For sure, we all hunger and thirst for love, forgiveness, for connection, for light in our darkness, for new life from our brokenness, for strength in our weakness. Jesus point to himself as the one who can satisfy such hunger and thirst. We do not have to go looking for the spectacular sign, the unusual phenomenon. The lord is all we need because he alone is the bread of life. He is present to us as bread of life in the scriptures and in the Eucharist. He calls us as he called the people of his time to believe in him. Believing in Jesus as the bread of life involves trusting him completely as the foundation of our faith, as the light that can shine into all our darkness. Heeding Mother Teresa’s advice if we too really want to grow in love, we must return the Eucharist, to the Adoration and be united with Christ.