2nd Passiontide 2022, Skill They Can Learn

 2^nd Passiontide

John 6:1-15 

After this, Jesus crossed to the far shore

Woloschina

of the Sea of Galilee near Tiberius, and a great crowd of people followed him because they had seen the signs of the Spirit he had performed on those who were ill. 

Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

When Jesus raised his eyes to the world of the Spirit and beheld how crowds of people were coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread that all these people may eat?" He asked this to test his understanding and presence of mind, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 

Philip answered him, "200 denarii [or, seven months wages] would not buy enough bread for them each to have only a little." 

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "A boy is here with five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are these among so many?" 

Jesus said, "Let the people sit down in groups." There was plenty of green grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave to those seated, likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 

Now when they were satisfied, he said to his disciples, "Gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost." So, they gathered them, and they filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 

Seeing the sign that he had done, the people said, "Truly, this is the prophet who is to come into the world." When Jesus became aware that they intended to come and make him king by force, he withdrew again to the mountain alone by himself.

2^nd Passiontide

March 27, 2022

John 6:26-35 

There are different kinds of thorns. One kind is a permanent woody part of the plant itself, such as the spurs on a citrus tree or hawthorne. Another is a removable part of the plant's skin—such as the prickle on a rose. It does not belong to the plant's deepest layers. Nevertheless, these prickles, like the stinger of a bee, can embed themselves and infect. 

In the Passiontide prayers from the altar, we ask God not to focus on 'the sting of evil' in our hearts. The deepest core of our hearts, made by God, is good. But our hearts have been stung by the thorn of the adversary and are infected with evil. We are acutely aware of our common illness, which inflames us and causes us to wound others. At times, we may feel our inner selves to be lying on the ground, sick unto death. Our hearts need to be healed of their infections. The goodness of our core needs to be strengthened and nourished. 

Christ, the divine Physician, came to nourish and strengthen our heart's core. He gives us the twelvefold bread from the stars, from his Father in the heavens, to nourish, strengthen and heal us. 

We stand in awe before the gift He offers us, the bread of Himself. We may be inclined to rush in, almost greedy for healing. We may want the whole loaf. But He says in the words of Rumi: 

Nibble at me.

Don't gulp me down.

How often is it you have a guest in your house

who can fix everything?*

 

To us, Catherine of Sienna adds:

A thorn has entered your foot. That is why you

weep at times at

night. 

There are some in this world

who can pull it

out. 

The skill that takes they have

learned from

Him. ** 

We take in the bread and wine to become strong, to be healed, so that the good in the depths of our hearts may endure. At the same time, we take it in not only for ourselves. We take it in so that we, in turn, can help in the healing of others.

 

 www.thechristiancommunity.org

* Rumi, "Nibble at Me," in Love Poems from God, Daniel Ladinsky, p.64

** Catherine of Sienna, "That Skill," in Love Poems from God, Daniel Ladinsky, p. 190.

2nd Passiontide 2021, Eucharist of the Ordinary

2^nd Passiontide

John 6:1-15 

After this, Jesus crossed to the far

Margareta Woloschina

shore of the Sea of Galilee near Tiberius, and a great crowd of people followed him because they had seen the signs of the Spirit he had performed on those who were ill.

Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

When Jesus raised his eyes to the world of the Spirit and beheld how crowds of people were coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that all these people may eat?" He asked this to test his understanding and presence of mind, for he himself knew what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, "200 denarii [or, seven months wages] would not buy enough bread for them each to have only a little."

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "A boy is here with five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are these among so many?"

Margareta Woloschina

Jesus said, "Let the
people sit down in groups." There was plenty of green grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave to those seated, likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

Now when they were satisfied, he said to his disciples, "Gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost." So, they gathered them, and they filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

Seeing the sign that he had done, the people said, "Truly, this is the prophet who is to come into the world." When Jesus became aware that they intended to come and make him king by force, he withdrew again to the mountain alone by himself.

2^nd Passiontide

March 14, 2021

John 6:1-15

The Jewish Passover Feast celebrates the Hebrew peoples’ escape from the tenth plague—the death of their first-born. The blood of a lamb was smeared on the doorpost as a sign to the angel of death to pass over their house.  As a result of this plague, they and their children were released from bondage in Egypt.

Grunewald

In today’s gospel reading, the approaching

Passover feast of the year 33 will be different. The lamb will be Christ Himself, whose innocent selfless blood will be poured into the earth to keep her alive and free human beings from the death of matter. Meanwhile, Jesus raises His eyes in spirit vision and sees all of those human beings of future ages who will need strengthening nourishment to keep their souls alive.

In the reading, it is evening. One by one, the stars come out. The people sit near the Sea of Galilee, on the lush spring grass. Christ draws down the formative, healing, and revitalizing power that pours down from

Margareta Woloschina

His Father through the stars. These living forces Christ draw into bread and fish, into a form that can be taken in by human beings. The life in them is so potent that it takes very little to satisfy their hunger.

At His Last Supper, on Holy Thursday, He will pour that same power into Bread and Wine and make them bearers of the form of His body and the enlivening power of His blood. And along with them, He will pour His soul’s deep and selfless love.

Indeed, Christ is still drawing down living forces from the stars. He is still pouring His love into bread and wine. He wants to release us from the bondage of the mundane, of the ordinary. In the words of John O’Donohue:

We seldom notice how each day is a holy place

Where the eucharist of the ordinary happens,

Transforming our broken fragments

Into an eternal continuity that keeps us.*

 

---

*John O’Donohue, “ The Inner History of a Day” in To Bless the Space Between Us

 

  

2nd Passiontide II 2020, More Than Enough

2^nd Passiontide

John 6:1-15

After this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee near Tiberius, and a great crowd of people followed him because they had seen the signs of the spirit, which he had performed on those who were ill.

Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

Speyerer Gospel

When Jesus raised his eyes to the world of the spirit and beheld how crowds of people were coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that all these people may eat?”

He asked this to test his understanding and presence of mind, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “200 denarii [seven months wages] would not buy enough bread for them each to have only a little.”

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up: “A boy is here with five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are these among so many?”

Jesus said, “Let the people sit down in groups.” There was plenty of green grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave to those who were seated, likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

Now when they were satisfied, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost.” So, they gathered them, and they filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. Seeing the sign that he had done, the people said, “Truly, this is the prophet who is to come into the world.”

When Jesus became aware that they intended to come and make him king by force, he withdrew again to the mountain alone by himself.

2^nd Passiontide

March 24, 2020

John 6:1-15

To maintain our earthly existence, we must eat. Some saints have been able to exist by taking in no other bread but Communion. We ask ourselves how this is possible.

In the gospel reading, Christ’s question to Philip – where shall we buy bread – is, in essence, a question about whether nourishment can only be mediated by the earthly, by money. And Philip’s answer is accurate enough on the material level—seven months' wages would not be sufficient to buy bread for so many.

Woloschina

However, the answer to how to feed the people can also have another starting point: a young boy’s gift, five barley loaves, made from spring’s first harvest, two fish from the watery element. In paradisal Galilee, the people sit in an elevated place, on green grass, between heaven and earth, as the sun is going down. The first stars become visible. And to what seems to be very little bread in earthly terms, Christ, with gratitude, adds what truly feeds us—the Father’s Light, His Life, His Love from the realm of the stars.

Christ leads hearts into an awareness of the hidden realm of pure Life itself. The life realm is where living things multiply, thirty, sixty, a hundredfold. It is a realm of more than enough. The material part of bread is a necessary carrier, but a bite, a crumb of living bread suffices. What nourishes, what satisfies our heart’s most profound need, is the thirty, sixty, hundredfold Life in it.

It is also quite possible that in this realm of more than enough, the people too were able to offer what they had brought. They multiplied the gift. Filled with the Christ blessing, there was more than enough; there was enough left over to show them, and us, that our real nourishment is mediated, not only through the forces of the earth but through the living forces of the Father’s circle of the stars. There is more than enough, to show that

‘…What in the bread doth feed,

Is God’s Eternal Word, His Life, His Light, His Deed.*

Even at home, we can consecrate ourselves today. We can offer and receive our nourishment in gratitude. Through our gratitude, we allow Christ to bless and fill our daily bread with his Life. For us, too, more than enough will be all that we need to live. 

*After Angelus Silesius

www.thechristiancommunity.org

2nd Passiontide 2020, Infinite Meadows

2^nd Passiontide

John 6:1–15

After this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee near Tiberius, and a great crowd of people followed him because they had seen the signs of the spirit, which he had performed on those who were ill.

Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

Woloschina

When Jesus raised his eyes to the world of the spirit and beheld how crowds of people were coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that all these people may eat?”

He asked this to test his understanding and presence of mind, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “200 denarii [seven months wages] would not buy enough bread for them each to have only a little.”

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up: “A boy is here with five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are these among so many?”

Jesus said, “Let the people sit down in groups.” There was plenty of green grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave to those who were seated, likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

Now when they were satisfied, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost.” So, they gathered them, and they filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. Seeing the sign that he had done, the people said, “Truly, this is the prophet who is to come into the world.”

When Jesus became aware that they intended to come and make him king by force, he withdrew again to the mountain alone by himself.2nd Passiontide

March 22, 2020

John 6:1–15

Woloschina

These difficult times are creating an odd opportunity: instead of eating out, many are finding it necessary to cook at home. The opportunity lies in the possibility of infusing the food we create with the love that we feel for ourselves and our families. It is this element of love that is the true nourishment for body and soul.

In today’s gospel reading Christ pointedly asks, ‘Where shall we buy bread that all these people may eat?’ And Philip answers that seven months’ wages would not be enough. I think Christ was trying to point to the inadequacy of trying to nourish human bodies and souls with money alone.

To thrive, we need so much more. We desperately need the soul mood of gratitude for that which we do have, however little it may seem. We need to contribute to the atmosphere of generosity, of magnanimous giving, as much as people want, as much as God wants.

In the Gospel, the people are seated on a grassy meadow. It is evening. The stars come out. Longfellow said,

Silent, one by one,

in the infinite meadows of heavens,

blossomed the lovely stars,

the forget-me-nots of angels.

And Emerson said: “If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty and light the universe with their admonishing smile.”**

The night sky as meadow and city. The twelve basketsful gathered in the gospel were the leftover abundance of the star bread from the heavens, the city of the Father.

With gratitude and with greatness of heart, we can access what truly nourishes us: the life-giving love from the stars. For God’s essence and the nature of His Son is overflowing abundance itself. But we must first take our place in the greater, healthy order of things. We must open our hearts in gratitude and generosity, toward God, toward our fellow human beings, and toward the kingdoms of nature below us.

*Longfellow: Evangeline

** Emerson, Nature, Chapter 1

www.thechristiancommunity.org

2nd Passiontide 2019, Bread of Life

2^nd Passiontide

John 6: 26 -35

Amedee Varint

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and

set off over the sea for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "I AM, have no fear" Now when they wanted to take him into the boat, immediately the boat was at the land, at the place where they wanted to go.

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

Woloschina

Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, the truth I say to you: You are seeking me not because you saw signs of spiritual power, but because you ate of the bread and were satisfied.

Do not work for the food that spoils, but create for yourselves the nourishment that leads to imperishable life, which the Son of Man will give you because he is totally permeated by the being of the Father God [upon him the Father has set his seal].

Thereafter they said to him, “What must we do in order to learn to do deeds which endure [that our deeds may work with the working of God]?

Jesus answered, “The working of God is [already in] this: that in your whole being there begins to stir trust in him whom he has sent.”

And they asked further, “What sign of the spirit can you perform in order that we see and therefore come to trust in you? What effect do your deeds have in the present time? Our fathers ate manna in the desert, as it says in scripture: ‘Bread from the heavens he gave them to eat.’”

Jesus said to them, “The truth I say to you, it was not Moses who gave to you bread from the heavens, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from the heavens. The bread from the world of the spirit is he who descends to you from the heavens; he gives himself as the true, unceasing life of the world.”

Then they said, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I AM the bread of life. He who finds the way to me will hunger no more, and he who comes to me in faith and trust will nevermore thirst.

2^nd Passiontide

March 31, 2019

John 6: 26 -35

Today’s gospel reading takes place right after the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples are in a boat, rowing hard in stormy darkness. Christ comes toward them, a shining beacon. “Have no fear,” he says. “I AM.” His earlier feeding of them has awakened in them a capacity to see and distinguish Him elsewhere when they are at sea in the darkest storm. When they take Him in, they are immediately where they need to be.

Arild Rosenkrantz

In our lives, there are of course also times of stormy darkness, where efforts are needed to keep our souls from capsizing. To us too, he says, Have no fear. He has nourished and fed us at the altar. We have taken him in. When we remember this with all the strength of our trust in Him, we take him into our soul-ship with us, and we are where we need to be.

Indeed, to the crowd the next day Christ points out that they have sought him because of spiritual nourishment because they had eaten of the spiritually strengthened bread and were satisfied. And He urges them, as He urges us, to search for such spiritual nourishment; to search for Christ Himself, who is the Bread that supports the eternal life of our souls. He urges us to recognize Him, He who approaches us always amid the storms of life. We can pray in the spirit of the Lord’s prayer:

Grant what we need each day in bread and insight.*

*Neil Douglas-Klotz, Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus

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2nd Passiontide 2018, Ground Under our Feet

2^nd Passiontide

March 11, 2018

John 6: 16 - 26

When evening came, his disciples went

Aivasovsky

down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off over the sea for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "I AM, have no fear" Now when they wanted to take him into the boat, immediately the boat was at the land, at the place where they wanted to go.

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, the truth I say to you: You are seeking me not because you saw signs of spiritual power, but because you ate of the bread and were satisfied.

2^nd Passiontide

March 11, 2018

John 6: 16 - 26

Aivasovsky

We are in rough waters. The wind of events are howling; the seas of emotions are running high. We are making efforts toward our goals, but are being pushed back. Fear is rising.

This is the moment when our hearts can call on our awareness of the spirit. We know that there is an over-arching divine consciousness. Our awareness of the trust, and the radiance of love. For we have eaten of the bread and were satisfied.'

spirit becomes a Presence; it can itself be terrifying at first. But in compassion, the Presence says: Fear not. I AM. And immediately we are at our goal. We find the ground under our feet. We experience calm

The heart’s song did not sound in vain,

for many now can hear again

the word of angels: Do not fear!

New light and sound in us appear

for strengthened heart and wakened ear.*

*Lent Song, German folk song, translation from Camphill

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2nd Passiontide 2017, Wakened Ear

2^nd Passiontide

Ivan Aivasovsky, Wikimedia

March 26, 2017

John 6: 16 - 26

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off over the sea for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "I AM, have no fear." Now when they wanted to take him into the boat, immediately the boat was at the land, at the place where they wanted to go.

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, the truth I say to you: You are seeking me not because you saw signs of spiritual power, but because you ate of the bread and were satisfied.

  

2^nd Passiontide

March 26, 2017

John 6: 16 - 26

We are in rough waters. The wind of events are howling; the seas of emotions are running high. We are making efforts toward our goals, but are being pushed back. Fear is rising.

This is the moment when our hearts can call on our awareness of the spirit. We know that there is an over-arching divine consciousness. Our awareness of the spirit becomes a Presence; it can itself be terrifying at first. But in compassion, the Presence says: Fear not. I AM. And immediately we are at our goal. We find the ground under our feet. We experience calm trust and the radiance of love. For we 'have eaten of the bread and were satisfied.' (John 6:26)

The heart’s song did not sound in vain,

for many now can hear again

the word of angels: Do not fear!

New light and sound in us appear

for strengthened heart and wakened ear.*

*Lent Song, German folk song, translation from Camphill

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2nd Passiontide 2016, Dark Hours

2^nd Passiontide

Ivan Aivasovsky, Wikicommons

John 6: 16 - 26

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off over the sea for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "I AM, have no fear" Now when they wanted to take him into the boat, immediately the boat was at the land, at the place where they wanted to go.

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, the truth I say to you: You are seeking me not because you saw signs of spiritual power, but because you ate of the bread and were satisfied.

2^nd Passiontide

March 6, 2016

John 6: 16 - 26

Ivan Aivasovsky, Wikicommons

This gospel reading has something of the quality of a dream. It is night; the disciples are in a boat, working hard to make headway in rough seas. Suddenly they see Christ. He appears as if walking, a shining form above the waters. They shrink with fear, but he calms them with the assurance of his very being – it is I. And when they take him in, they are suddenly at their destination.

Our lives too are sometimes beset with darkness and rough passages. It is just at those times when Christ can make his ever-presence known to us. He assures us that fear is to be dispelled, because he is the Guide on our journey. With his aid, we will reach our goal of firm grounding.

Not only is he our guide for the way; he is also our bread for the way. Just as after a night on the sea of dreams, we come to the daytime shore refreshed, so too does Christ nourish our spirits. He gives us life and strength. We come to him trusting that we will survive with him, even in the darkest hours. Perhaps, like Rilke, we can even learn to love them. He says,

I love the dark hours of my being.

My mind deepens into them.

There I can find, as in old letters,

the days of my life, already lived,

and held like a legend, and understood.

Then the knowing comes: I can open

to another life that's wide and timeless.*

*Ranier Maria Rilke in Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, trans. by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy 

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2nd Passiontide 2015, Bread and Insight

2^nd Passiontide

March 15, 2015

John 6: 26 -35

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off over the sea for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "I AM, have no fear" Now when they wanted to take him into the boat, immediately the boat was at the land, at the place where they wanted to go.

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

Feeding Five Thousand, M. Woloschin

Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, the truth I say to you: You are seeking me not because you saw signs of spiritual power, but because you ate of the bread and were satisfied.

Do not work for the food that spoils, but create for yourselves the nourishment that leads to imperishable life, which the Son of Man will give you because he is totally permeated by the being of the Father God [upon him the Father has set his seal].

Thereafter they said to him, “What must we do in order to learn to do deeds which endure [that our deeds may work with the working of God]?

Jesus answered, “The working of God is [already in] this: that in your whole being there begins to stir trust in him whom he has sent.”

And they asked further, “What sign of the spirit can you perform in order that we see and therefore come to trust in you? What effect do your deeds have in the present time? Our fathers ate manna in the desert, as it says in scripture: ‘Bread from the heavens he gave them to eat.’”

Jesus said to them, “The truth I say to you, it was not Moses who gave to you bread from the heavens, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from the heavens. The bread from the world of the spirit is he who descends to you from the heavens; he gives himself as the true, unceasing life of the world.”

Then they said, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I AM the bread of life. He who finds the way to me will hunger no more, and he who comes to me in faith and trust will nevermore thirst.

2^nd Passiontide

Jesus Walks on the Sea, Ivan Aivazovsky

March 15, 2015

John 6: 26 -35

Today’s gospel reading takes place right after the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples are in a boat, rowing hard in stormy darkness. Christ comes toward them, a shining beacon. “Have no fear,” he says. “I AM.” His earlier feeding of them has awakened in them a capacity to see and distinguish Him elsewhere, when they are at sea in the darkest storm. When they take Him in, they are immediately where they need to be.

In our lives there are of course also times of stormy darkness, where efforts are needed to keep our souls from capsizing. To us too, he says, Have no fear. He has nourished and fed us at the altar. We have taken him in. When we remember this with all the strength of our trust in Him, we take him into our soul-ship with us, and we are where we need to be.

Indeed, to the crowd the next day Christ points out that they have sought him because of spiritual nourishment, because they had eaten of the spiritually strengthened bread and were satisfied. And He urges them, as He urges us, to search for such spiritual nourishment; to search for Christ Himself, who is the Bread that supports the eternal life of our souls. He urges us to recognize Him, He who approaches us always amid the storms of life. We can pray in the spirit of the Lord’s prayer:

Grant what we need each day in bread and insight.*

*Neil Douglas-Klotz, Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus