When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Master, when did
you come here?” Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, you look for me, not because you
have seen through the signs, but because you ate bread and were satisfied. Work then,
not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which gives eternal life. The Son of Man
will give it to you, for he is the one the Father has marked.” Then the Jews asked him,
“What shall we do? What are the works that God wants us to do?” And Jesus answered
them, “The work God wants is this: that you believe in the One whom God has sent.”
They then said, “Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe you. What sign
do you perform? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says: They were
given bread from heaven to eat.” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, I say to you, it was not
Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true bread from
heaven. The bread God gives is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the
world.” And they said to him, “ Give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am
the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes
in me shall never be thirsty. One who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.”
And they said to him, “ Give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am
the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes
in me shall never be thirsty.

READ: The people looked for Jesus. They found him at the other side of the lake. Jesus
told them that he knew the reason why they were looking for him. It was not because they
saw the signs when Jesus fed the multitude but because they ate and were satisfied. Jesus
exhorted them to work for lasting food and not for perishable food. The Son of Man would give
them such food. The Jews asked Jesus what they should do. Jesus told them that they should
believe in the one whom God sent. The Jews asked for miracles citing the manna in the desert.
Jesus explained to them that it was his Father who gave them the true bread from heaven.
Jesus told them that he is the bread of life.

REFLECT: Jesus is the true bread that came down from heaven. He is the gift of God the Father
to the world. We are called to grow in our relationship with Jesus because he is the one who can
truly nourish us, making us grow into the spiritually mature people God wants us to be. A spiritually
mature person knows how to distinguish truth from falsity, knows how to discern well. A spiritually
mature person discerns well a true life-giving relationship from one that is merely satisfying. We
have to choose what is truly life-giving.

PRAY: Let us pray for the gift of discernment.

ACT: Let us exercise discernment today, doing a concrete life-giving act for a family member.