Dear Saints,

Jesus' Bread of Life Discourse runs from the twenty-second to the seventy-first verse of John's sixth chapter. This Sunday's Gospel passage recounts the early part of that lively exchange.

Just as he anticipates, Jesus and what remained of the 5,000 find themselves talking at cross-purposes. They are overeager about the feeding miracle, and Jesus wants them to feed on his own life of love.

This tension isn't simply the artifact of a bygone era. It lives on in us today. So often, instead of making Jesus the absolute center of our hearts and lives, we prefer him to play some sort of secondary role -- sure, he can make some demands on us, but in return we'd like him to confirm (and help us achieve) our plans, dreams, and desires.

Let me say, my friends, that we do not want to trade the True and Living God for the achievement of our own purposes, no matter how noble they might appear! No, God's story - and the life of eternal purpose he has called us to here and now - easily outshines the smallness of our self-constructed narratives.

The Good News is that, no matter how mixed up and muddled we might be, Jesus remains eager to satisfy our deepest hunger. Put another way, Jesus is our salvation: When we turn over our hearts and lives to him we are restored and rejuvenated by his love; we are healed and made whole by his mercy; we are nourished and sustained by the Bread of Life, his Body and Blood.

I love you, my friends. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ

This Pastor's Note originates from Father Daniel's weekly email series, Blast from the Pastor. To join the mailing list and receive updates from the parish, please send an email to pastor@olmcboonton.org.