Tuesday, April 16
St. Agapia and St. Irene Chionia, Holy Martyrs
Readings: Acts 8:5-17; John 6:27-33
After the miraculous multiplication of bread and fish and the feeding of a great multitude at the base of the mountain, Jesus returns to Capernaum and begins His teaching on the Mystery of the Eucharist. This takes place in the synagogue at Capernaum (John 6:59).
The people who were physically fed by Jesus and were satisfied, are now looking for Jesus, to be fed once again. But Jesus tells them not look for food that perishes, but for the food that endures and gives eternal life to those who eat of it. They then say to Jesus, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
When Israel was in the wilderness, it was Moses the Prophet who prayed, and through his intercession, God provided His People with manna – the bread that came down from heaven.
It was believed that when the Messiah-Prophet comes, He will reproduce the miracle of the giving of manna. Jesus has done this. He as multiplied bread and has fed a great multitude, and He can continue to repeat the miracle. The twelve baskets of fragments indicate that Jesus has the power and authority to feed all of Israel. If all twelve tribes were present that day, all of them would have been fed and satisfied.
But Jesus, the promised Messiah, has something greater in mind than just feeding people physically. He wants to provide Bread that comes down from heaven – Bread that endures and gives eternal life to those who eat of it. That Bread is Jesus Himself.
