JESUS, THE BREAD OF LIFE
My dear encountered couples:
Today Jesus tells the crowds: “I am the bread of life.” Jesus also says that anyone who comes to Him will never hunger, nor thirst. Did the crowds truly understand what Jesus was saying? Did they realize that Jesus was not speaking literally? Jesus was not talking about food and drink that we consume. Rather, Jesus was speaking of our “spiritual” hunger and thirst.
Ask yourself: What is it you hunger for? Is it love, friendship, financial stability, a healthy and happy family? We human beings have many hungers. However, we often try to satisfy our deepest hungers with money, material things, people, or even food or drink. Yes, these things do satisfy us to some extent. However, our deepest hunger is for God! We can have all the money in the world or a multitude of friends but if God, Jesus or the Spirit is not part of our lives, nothing else will ever satisfy!
Today, ask yourself: What do I truly thirst for? What do I long for? Most likely, we long and hope for many good things. Do I long for God? How do I experience that longing? The reality is: no matter how much we have or how many people we love, truly only God alone will satisfy our hunger and our longing! Today, will I choose to spend time with God?
Our Psalm today says, “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.” St. Catherine of Siena, whose feast day we are celebrating today, lived every aspect of her life for God and his glory. She learned to read and write so she could learn more about God and religion and so she could share her mystical experiences through her letters and dialogues. She travelled in support of the pope at a time when women didn’t travel and not alone. She considered herself married to Christ in opposition to her parents’ wishes for her family. She accepted Jesus totally as the bread of life.
Today St. Catherine is a role model for women in the church. She lived her spirituality in every fiber of her being and shared her love of God with everyone she could.
