August 4, 2024: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When God's people, the Hebrews, journeyed in the wilderness to the Promised Land, they despaired because they lacked sufficient food.  God, in His grace and mercy, provided them quail and manna. It was a sign of how they had to depend on God to sustain them.

Now, God has come to us in His fullness in Christ.  When talking with the people in Capernaum in the Gospel reading from John 6, they referred to the bread from heaven that Moses gave them.  Christ then indicated He is the true bread from heaven, the Bread of Life Who came down to bring life to the world.

Truly, we depend on Jesus to satisfy us in the fullest way, so that we will never hunger or thirst.

Furthermore, as St. Paul writes, we are transformed to leave behind our former way of life, living as renewed people, exhibiting God's righteousness.  He imparts it through Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.  He gives us His Life and then we are called to share it with the world.