18th Sunday of Ordinary Times

As we go through life, most of us spend a lot of time on temporal and passing things. At some point in our life, we may place great value on worldly materials, money, career, education, or physical pleasure. As we go on in life, these values usually wear out or become meaningless. WE outgrow them and replace them with more meaningful ones.

In today’s Gospel, we hear how the crowd challenged Jesus to give them a sign in order for them to believe in him. But Jesus fired back when he said, “ You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves.” Jesus was trying to  lift their thinking from a worldly, material level to a more spiritual level. Jesus Challenges them to deeper conversion. He invites them to shift their expectations from outward signs to inner transformation. He told them not to work for food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life. To come to Jesus and believe in him requires letting go of familiar habits, and risking an unknown future. Just as the Israelites in today’s first reading, crossed the desert and entered the land of freedom to which God led them through Moses; So, the crowd in the Gospel crossed the sea of Galilee, in search of Jesus, the bread of life.

This Struggle of conversion-metanoia is still going on today. Each one of us is called to conversion and faith. We must give “Jesus, the bread of life”, priority over mere physical bread. We see it all the time: a child tries to wrap his arms around too many toys, and as a result, loses everyone. Whenever something rules over you, you need help. God knows what we need. He’s offering  it to us right now, at this moment. Father Pedro Arrupe, former Superior General of the Society of Jesus Throughout the World said: “Nothing is more practical than finding God…..What you are in love with, what seized your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” St. John Paul II said: “Simplicity and self-denial must be the characteristics of followers of Christ.”