For Free

In life we all look for that easy break or the big break, if I could only get the higher paying job, the better house, hit the lottery, and our wishes go on and on.  Everyone looks for that free ride.  In today’s Gospel our Jewish brothers and sisters also looked for that handout, for their big break.  “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.”

We ate our loaves and were filled, since it was free; why not look for some more?  Jesus is asking us to remember the signs that were manifested, i.e. multiplication of loaves and fishes.  More importantly he wants to get across through our thick skulls is that he wants to feed us, but that we should begin looking towards the heavenly food that leads to eternal life.  Earthly food sustains this human body but not the soul.  Jesus feeds both, but he is setting up the latter as more important.  The people are not listening; they keep on thinking of what they can get for free.  Jesus must be a little forceful and let them know their searching for a hand out is not happening and that it is wrong to do so.  He begins to move slowly towards his point, that He is the bread of life and whoever comes to him will never hunger or thirst, i.e. never be wanting in any way since Jesus will be all and in all.

Yet, like our Jewish brothers and sisters we revert back to things of this world, not just free bread, but more money, bigger and better homes, better vacations, better jobs, fancier restaurants, up to date electronics – yesterday is too old already.  To better oneself is not the issue, the issue or question is for what purpose?  Along the way I look for hand outs, sometimes even handouts from God.  But life doesn’t work that way.  The order is wrong.  We must seek God first, then everything else second.  God provides Himself as the means for what we need and that is in the Bread of Life, Jesus in the Eucharist.  If we do not seek Him in the Eucharist then we will seek other things instead, i.e. everything this world offers but him, we will reduce him to our means, to our justifications, to our beliefs, to the little man in the corner whom I pull out when I need some free bread and some free fish.

All of us are guilty to some degree of looking for a handout, it is in our weak human nature and that is why Jesus was so patient in his ministry, he was dealing with stubbornness, weakness, and sinfulness.  Thank goodness for his patience, but more importantly he wanted to give himself completely so that we would have the means to become holy and good, he left us himself.  How in the world could we ever refuse such a gift?  I did for a while before my conversion and looking back now I realized I was empty though I had just about everything I wanted, I was just missing the most important thing, my Lord and my God in the Eucharist.  Never again!