When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” – John 6:5
Jesus teaches his disciples about the real hunger of this world, and it isn’t for bread alone; it’s for the Bread of Life that only Jesus can provide.
When we look to Jesus for strength and grace to live for today and tomorrow, then we will not be disappointed. Jesus can fill us with joy and light by walking with us in our depression, helping us through difficult economic times, and weeping with us in our grief.
A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very small boy and the rock was very big.)
The Apostle Paul reminds us that as Christ died and was buried and then rose again, we too, being united with Jesus through our Baptisms have gone with Jesus into death and we will go beyond to eternal life with him as well! This is not of our own doing and we can’t do it alone – without Christ. But, we need not try it on our own, for we have the Jesus who pilots us through death and into eternal life.
Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.
There was a rich merchant who had four wives. He loved his fourth wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved his third wife very much. He’s very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. “Your son is here,” she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes opened. Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand.
