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Gospel Reflection – Tuesday, May 6, 2025
All signs are ambiguous. Believing is a personal decision—a choice. Of course, it involves some risk. That’s the key behind the question people ask Jesus: “What sign can you do, so that we may see it and believe in you?”
In other words, the sign of multiplying the loaves and fish—feeding five thousand people not even counting the women and children—wasn’t enough for them to believe in Jesus. They probably thought there must be some other explanation. And as it says elsewhere in the Gospel, maybe Jesus wasn’t doing miracles by God’s power, but by the power of the devil (cf. Mt. 12:24). We need to repeat this and understand it clearly: all signs are ambiguous. Belief is a personal decision, a choice. It’s like a leap into the unknown. But those who don’t believe should know—they’re also taking a leap. They’re also making a choice.
We might believe because of our upbringing, or the culture around us. It’s what our parents taught us. The Jews were convinced that it was God Himself who had fed them in the desert. The manna was a sign of God’s presence, nourishing His people. But that bread was just to get them through the desert—to help them reach the Promised Land. It wasn’t the final bread. And the Promised Land wasn’t quite what they had expected either. There was still a long journey ahead.
Now Jesus promises true bread—bread that gives life to the world. He goes even further and says: “I am the bread of life.” With that bread, hunger and thirst come to an end—forever. And this is where faith becomes essential. This is where the Eucharist goes beyond being just a ritual or a Sunday obligation. It becomes the place where the community—the believers—gather around the altar, and Jesus Himself becomes word of life and bread of life.
This bread creates fraternity. It doesn’t trap us in a private relationship of “just me and God,” but opens us up to our brothers and sisters—to share the life we receive in it. This is the kind of faith that helps us see beyond candles, hymns, and rituals. And that’s where we find true life and real hope.