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Gospel Reflection – Thursday, May 8, 2025
There’s nothing more necessary and urgent for a person than food. Without it, there’s no life. Without it, there’s no future. The bread mentioned in today’s Gospel—in the world of Jesus and in many other cultures and times—has always been the basic food. Bread, then, becomes a symbol not only of nourishment, but of life itself. Without bread, there’s no life—just like in other cultures, we might say the same about rice.
When Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” and repeats, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever,” He’s connecting bread—nourishment—with life. But He speaks of a different kind of bread. Regular bread must be eaten every day. The bread Jesus speaks of gives eternal life.
What Jesus says about Himself and the bread clearly relates to the Eucharist, which we celebrate often. But it goes far beyond that. To encounter Jesus is to encounter the One who gives us true life. Feeding on Him—on His words, His life—leads us to live in such a way that our own lives gain deeper meaning and open up to a new future.
But we can’t separate these words of Jesus from His message about the Kingdom. The Eucharist makes visible this Kingdom dimension—the fraternity we’re called to as sons and daughters of God. To receive Communion is to enter into a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus. But it’s not a private, closed relationship—it opens us up to others, to fraternity. Because in Jesus, life is found in the Kingdom, and the Kingdom means fraternity and justice. A fraternity open to all humanity, and one that must become real in concrete acts of love.
Without that fraternity, without that communion with our brothers and sisters, there can be no true communion with Jesus. Our relationship with Him necessarily passes through our relationship with others. Only then does the bread of the Eucharist become truly bread of life and hope—for us and for the world.