Homily for Monday of the 3rd Week of Easter

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus distinguishes between bread that quickly becomes stale and bread that provides nourishment for eternal life. He had fed the people with bread and fish to address their physical hunger. However, as they continued to seek more food, He invited them to consider the spiritual nourishment that satisfies their deeper desires. Jesus came not only to meet our physical needs but also to offer us the spiritually nourishing food of God’s presence.

He reminds us that while we need material things because we are physical beings, our search for fulfillment must go deeper. There is more to life than merely satisfying our bodily needs. We also have a deeper spiritual hunger that must be fulfilled to live fully and find peace within ourselves and others.

Jesus Himself offers us the food of eternal life, which satisfies our deepest longings. Our quest for fulfillment must ultimately lead us to God; as St. Augustine eloquently stated, “Our hearts cannot find true rest until they rest in God.”