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Jesus
said, “Do not work for
food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the
Son of Man will give you." ... So
they
said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of
God?” Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the
work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” So
they said to him,... "Our ancestors ate manna in
the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to
eat.’” So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to
you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives
you the
true bread from heaven. For the bread of
God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world.” So they said to him, “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.”
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"We’re
both looking for
something," the man in the relationship sings in Lifehouse's song
"First
Time," "we’ve been afraid to find it’s easier to be
broken, it’s easier to hide. Looking at
you, holding my breath, for once in my life I’m scared to death,
I’m taking a
chance letting you inside. I’m feeling
alive all over again, as deep as the scar under my skin, like being in
love,
she said, for the first time. Maybe I’m
wrong, I’m feeling right where I belong with you tonight, like
being in love to
feel for the first time." It seems as
though the couple had a relationship in the past; it did not go too
well for
some reason—they hid their thoughts--and now
they
are about to start it up again. "We’re crashing into the unknown,
we’re lost in this, but it feels like
home," they sing. The feeling is that of first love, described as
"feeling alive again."
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What
are some things that can make us feel
alive again? In the song "First Time," it is a
love relationship that could begin again. But what are some other
things? Some people take a vacation for a while to make themselves
feel alive;
some people like to go back to work after a long absence from
working,
and that makes them feel alive again; some people love to immerse
themselves in
their books and reading and research; some simply like to take a few
minutes a
day to quiet their minds.
The Israelite people of Jesus' time were looking for such a feeling. They wanted to feel alive again. They remembered their ancestors and they remembered them as feeling alive. What could this miracle-worker from Galilee give them? Jesus' answer: himself. He could give the feeling of being alive again; he was the bread of life. Whether we are part of a belief that accepts Jesus as food and we receive him in Communion, or whether we understand Jesus' words as merely a metaphor, his answer is significant. Jesus Christ is capable of making a person feel alive again. It is an attitude of the mind. If we accept what he said, follow in essence the way that he acted, and try to think in terms of his thinking, an undeniable peace of mind will settle into our lives. We will feel as though things are better than they ever were. We will be in love with all of God's creation, and the feeling will guide every moment of our lives. |
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THOUGHT
What are the things that make you "feel
alive"?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, your
Son called himself the "bread of life." He is capable of giving
life if we turn to him. Help us truly accept him and his
teachings as a guide so that our feeling of being alive will be part of
our lives now, and will stay with us forever. Be with us, we
pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |