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Work for eternal life


Gospel
John 6:22-29
Do not work for food that cannot last, but for food that endures to eternal life

After Jesus had fed the five thousand, his disciples saw him walking on the water. Next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side saw that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that the disciples had set off by themselves. Other boats, however, had put in from Tiberias, near the place where the bread had been eaten. When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus. When they found him on the other side, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’
    Jesus answered:

‘I tell you most solemnly,
you are not looking for me because you have seen the signs
but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat.
Do not work for food that cannot last,
but work for food that endures to eternal life,
the kind of food the Son of Man is offering you,
for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.’

Then they said to him, ‘What must we do if we are to do the works that God wants?’ Jesus gave them this answer, ‘This is working for God: you must believe in the one he has sent.’


Reflection 
The crowd sought Jesus after the miracle of feeding the five thousand, but Jesus challenges them: they are seeking physical bread, not the deeper, eternal nourishment He offers. He calls us to labor not for food that perishes but for the food that endures to eternal life-faith in Him, the Son of Man, sealed by God the Father126. This invites us to reflect: Are we seeking Jesus for temporary satisfaction or for the lasting life He alone gives?

Reflection question: What kind of "food" am I truly seeking in my life-temporary fulfillment or eternal life through faith in Jesus?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to hunger not for the things that fade away but for the eternal nourishment only You can provide. Strengthen my faith in You, that I may trust and follow You wholeheartedly, working for the life that lasts forever. Amen.

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