[T]hey said to [Jesus], “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” // John 6:34-35
Feeding myself is a tedious process. Due to severe allergies, I can only have the simplest, cleanest, and most limited ingredients. I’m always prepping separate meals for myself and my family; there’s no shortcut or “cheating” unless I want to spend several days sick in bed. It often feels like wearying, never-ending work. At the same time, it’s an act of mercy and reverence: nourishing the temple of my body to better commune with Almighty God Who dwells therein.
I empathize with the people in today’s Gospel (see John 6:30-35) who were also tired of the tedium and ready for a shortcut. Their days were endlessly filled with grinding flour, kneading dough, and baking it into bread simply to sustain themselves. They’d grown up with their ancestors’ accounts of miraculous manna in the desert, and their encounter with Jesus had all the echoes of the same. Here was a wonder-worker Who claimed to be God and promised divine bread—finally, they’d have a break from the everyday toil. Finally, they'd find fulfillment without the backbreaking investment.
But Jesus wasn’t offering a life hack. He was offering Himself.
He could’ve snapped His fingers and immediately erased their hunger; He could instantly heal me now if He willed. Yet Jesus was inviting them—and us—into something far deeper and more lasting than relief from physical hunger.
Christ knows that the life hacks and time-saving devices we crave can never deliver the fullness of freedom and healing we truly desire. Instead, our “time saved” is quickly overrun by more longing and our energy diverted to other anxieties.
The answer is not more ease and comfort. It’s possessing Jesus. In His wisdom, the Lord allows certain difficulties because they can propel us toward Him, the Bread of Life—the only life hack Who can fully satisfy, no matter the task or trial.
Today, take stock of your longings. Is Jesus a part of them? Visit the Bread of Life in Adoration or receive Him at Mass, and give Him greater access to your heart—that He may satisfy you beyond your greatest desires.
Megan Hjelmstad is a wife, enthusiastic hockey mom, and Army Veteran living in Denver, CO. In her “spare” time she serves as a Catholic Writer, Speaker, and Women’s Mentor, helping women to embrace their God-given dignity and deepen their prayer relationship with the Lord. She is the author Offer it Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Suffering, a writer for SpiritualDirection.com, and a longtime team member of Blessed is She. Megan adores books, sleep, sunshine, and Colorado’s great outdoors almost as much as she adores Jesus in the Eucharist. Learn more at MeganHjelmstad.com.
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