AUGUST 2000
"I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst."
(Jn. 6:35)
In
his gospel, John narrates that Jesus went to Capernaum after the multiplication of the
loaves, and addressed those present saying, among other things, "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. 6:27).
For those who were listening to him it was evident that he was speaking
of the manna and the expectations for a "second" manna which would come down
from heaven during the Messianic times.
Shortly afterwards, on that
same occasion, Jesus presented himself to the crowd, which had not yet understood, as the
true bread come down from heaven which must be accepted through faith:
"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me
will never hunger, and
whoever believes in me will never thirst."
Jesus already sees himself as bread. This then is the ultimate purpose
of his life on earth: to become bread in order to be eaten, to become bread in order to
communicate his life to us, to transform us into himself. So far, the spiritual
significance of these words, with the references to the Old Testament, is clear. But his
words become mysterious and difficult when, further ahead, Jesus says of himself:
"The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world’’ (Jn.
6:51), and "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you do
not have life within you" (Jn. 6:53).
It’s the announcement
of the Eucharist which scandalizes and distances many disciples. Yet this is Jesus’
greatest gift to humanity: this intimate union with him present in the sacrament of the
Eucharist which satisfies body and soul and gives the fullness of joy.
When we are nourished by
this bread, we no longer hunger, in the sense that our every desire for love and truth is
satisfied by the One who is Love itself, Truth itself.
"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me
will never hunger, and
whoever believes in me will never thirst."
It is true. This bread nourishes us with him even here on earth,
but it is given to us in order that we in turn satisfy the spiritual and material hunger
of the people around us.
Christ is proclaimed to the
world not so much through the Eucharist, but through the lives of Christians nourished by
the Eucharist and by the word. They preach the Gospel with their lives and words, thereby
bringing the presence of Christ in the midst of men and women.
The life of the Christian
community, thanks to the Eucharist, becomes the life of Jesus, therefore, a life capable
of giving love, the life of God to others.
"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me
will never hunger, and
whoever believes in me will never thirst."
By using the metaphor of bread, Jesus teaches us the most authentic,
the most "Christian" way to love our neighbor.
What does loving really
mean?
Loving means "making
ourselves one" with everyone in the smallest and most insignificant things, in things
that might not be very important to us, but in which others are interested.
Jesus gave us a stupendous
example of this way of loving by making himself "bread" for us. He makes himself
"bread" in order to enter within everyone, to make himself edible, to make
himself one with everyone, to serve, to love everyone.
So we, too, should make
ourselves one to the point of allowing ourselves to be "eaten."
This is love, making
ourselves one so that others may be nourished by our love, comforted, uplifted,
understood.
Chiara
Lubich
The commentary to the Word of Life is translated
in 90 different languages and dialects, and reaches more than 14 million people worldwide,
through the press, and radio and TV programs. If you would like to read experiences of
life related to this or to past "Words of Life," they can be
found in Living City magazine, the monthly publication of the Focolare
Movement. For information, or to subscribe, write to: Living City, P.O. Box 837, Bronx, NY
10465. A book, From Scripture to Life, containing Words of Life with
commentary by Chiara Lubich and related experiences of life is available
through New City Press, the publishing house of the Focolare, 202
Cardinal Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538.
To order the book or magazine, call: 1-800-462-5980. E-mail: info@newcitypress.com
© 2000 - Living City of Focolare Movement - P.O. Box 837, Bronx,
New York 10465
Presented here with permission of the publishers
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