Nourishment

A Reflection on the Gospel for August 8th, 2021:
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

---

John
6.41-51

The people began to complain about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw them; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.

“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
​

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

Jesus is the way to life’s fullness and fulfillment.

The Lord is the bread of life. He provides nourishment for our hearts and souls in a way that no other person or thing can. Without His nourishment in our lives, we can sometimes begin to grow weary and restless. 

Personally, I have experienced times where I get so wrapped up in the busyness of life that I forget to take the time to seek the nourishment that the Lord wishes to provide me with. When this happens, I often feel burnt out, exhausted, and not exactly like myself. But God promises to provide us with the absolute opposite of those sentiments if we seek Him: eternal life.  

We are not meant to experience spiritual death. Though our earthly bodies will one day cease to function, the Lord intends for our most authentic selves, our souls, to never truly die. And the amazing thing is, that God extends this promise to each and every one of us; we simply have to choose if we will accept or decline His offer. 

That being said, in order to experience the fullness of life forever, we must actually eat of the Bread of Life. It’s a choice that we continuously must decide to make each and every day. The Lord will never impose Himself on us; He loves us far too much for that. He promises eternal joy and peace when we act on our faith and love for Him. When we choose Him, we never truly die. 

I pray that I have the conviction to choose Him each day, just as He chooses me each day. Amen




​Megan Noye
​

---