‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’ John, Chapter 6: The Bread of Life Discourse

BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY

In what we call a “Three Year Cycle” of Gospel Readings for Sunday Mass, the Church reads from Matthew’s Gospel in “Year A,” from Mark in Year B, and from Luke in Year C. The Gospel of John gets “mixed in” at different times, Feasts, and Seasons during that Three Year Cycle. Currently, we are in “Year B” and, partly, because Mark is the shortest of four Gospels, for five weeks, during the summer, weeks 17–21 in Ordinary Time of Year B, the Church reads and meditates on the Sixth Chapter of John’s Gospel, which is often referred to as the “Bread of Life Discourse.” For more information, read a great article on the website “Mass Explained.”

This past Sunday was the second of the five consecutive Sundays when we will be reading from, meditating on, and preaching or hearing homilies on the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. I wonder whether those who planned the National Eucharistic Congress, which took place in Indianapolis, from July 16–21, chose the date because they knew that we would be reading from “John 6” on the five Sundays that follow the Congress? Given that the Congress was so well planned, I would not be surprised if it was a deliberate choice. If it is a coincidence, it is a very happy coincidence and a blessing for us all on each of the five Sundays.

I trust that readers of this column are well aware that the National Eucharistic Congress is part of a three-year Eucharistic Revival in which the bishops of the United States, along with many others, are inviting Catholics throughout the United States to participate. These five Sundays offer all Catholics a wonderful opportunity to meditate on and pray with the living Word of God as part of the Eucharistic Revival. Beginning with the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and the feeding of the great multitude (Jn 6:1–15) two Sundays ago, continuing with the past Sunday’s Gospel (Jn 6:24–35), and in the three Sundays to come, we have the opportunity to be “nourished” by the Word of God. Jesus teaches us, once again, what He means when He says:

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me 
 will never hunger, and whoever believes in me 
 will never thirst.”
(Jn 6:35)

AND

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” 
(Jn 6:53–56)

I would like to share with you one personal experience of praying with God’s Word that was helpful to me, with the hope that it may be helpful for you. As I began to prepare my homily for this past Sunday and spent some time in prayer with the Readings, a few words from the Gospel seemed to stand out and caught my attention: “Rabbi, when did you get here?” (Jn 6:25)

After Jesus had fed the crowds by multiplying the loaves and fishes, John tells us, “Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.” (Jn. 6:15) In verses 16-20 John tells us, “… his disciples went down to the sea…” and that Jesus came to them, “… walking on the sea.” In verses 22-24, we hear how the crowds were looking for Jesus the next day and “… came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.” Then, in v. 25, “And when they found him across the sea they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here? ’ ”

I had read and prayed with “John 6” and with these particular verses many times before, but I don’t recall those particular words “standing out” or calling for my attention as they did now. I would think that it must have been one person who actually said the words, “Rabbi, when did you get here?,” but John tells us, “they said to him.” I guess it is possible that a number of people asked Jesus the same question or, perhaps, it was a small (or large) group that (finally) found Jesus, after they had been looking for him and asked him a fairly obvious question. For us, this is an opportunity to “listen” to Jesus in prayer. St. Ignatius of Loyola developed and recommended a way of praying with the Scriptures that he called “Contemplation.” More information on this form of prayer.

The “Contemplation” recommended by St. Ignatius is a form of a more ancient tradition of praying with the Scriptures, called “Lectio Divina.” More information on this form of prayer.

I mention all this because one of St. Ignatius’ recommendations, described in the article cited above, is:

Close one’s eyes and reconstruct the scene in one’s imagination. See what is going on and watch the men and women in the scene. What does Jesus look like? How do the others react to him? What are the people saying to one another? What emotions fill their words? Is Jesus touching someone? As one enters into the scene, sometimes there is the desire to be there. So a person can place oneself in the scene, perhaps as an observer, as one lining up for healing, or as one helping others to Jesus.

When the question, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” caught my attention, I did as St. Ignatius suggested and tried, with my imagination, to “place myself in the scene.” What if I had been the one who asked Jesus the question? What would it have been like for Him to make eye contact and to hear Him answer the question:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
(Jn 6:26–27)

I wonder whether I would have grasped the significance and meaning of Jesus’ answer or, more likely, have been like those who were there at the time and probably asked myself, “What is he talking about?” It seems noteworthy that Jesus does not directly answer the question of “when” he arrived. The Lord’s response to the disciples that follows goes in another direction entirely. Jesus might be suggesting that it is not as important to know “when” he arrived as to be aware, rather, that he is always present. Amid many voices who compete for our attention, our hearts may be slow to recognize the Lord’s presence ever with us. The consolation of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is that he constantly accompanies us with his living presence whenever and wherever we need him — which is in all times and places.

In prayer, as we read this passage, we can hear Jesus telling us, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” We can ask ourselves, “What am I ‘working’ for? What and who is most important in my life? How am I working for (and appreciating) ‘the food that endures for eternal life’ that Jesus gives to us in His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, in Holy Communion?”

Just as we encounter Jesus in His “Real Presence” in the Eucharist and in His “distressing disguise,” in our brothers and sisters who are most in need, we can also “encounter” Jesus in His Living Word. Praying with the Scriptures, and meditating on God’s Word, is a beautiful and powerful way to draw closer to God. During these five weeks, we have a wonderful opportunity to spend time with Jesus, listening to and learning from Him, as He speaks to us in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, the “Bread of Life Discourse.”