Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Osmond Anike

Readings:

First Reading: : Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 – The Lord sends manna from heaven.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 77(78):3-4, 23-25, 54 – The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 – Put aside your old self and put on the new.

Gospel: : John 6:24-35 – It is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven; I am the bread of life.

Many people are in prison even though they don’t realise it. A “prison” properly defined does not have to be a secluded and restricted structure with four-walled high barricade. The life that many people are actually living can be legitimately described as being in prison. But although they are in prison, what people want alas, is not a release from prison but an improvement of their prison condition. Which would you rather choose: to be a free bird or a captive king? A silly question, one might think. But wait a minute! A man was imprisoned for twenty years. When he was eventually released, he refused to go home, claiming that he was comfortable inside the prison; that he had risen to the rank of “president” in the prison and had many prison inmates acting as servants to him. He said that he was not even sure of finding a job if he got out, nor could he remotely dream of having servants at his beck and call. However, a relative of his came and forcefully took him home. Consequently, he killed that relative and was rearrested and taken back to the prison. The relative became a victim of transferred aggression.

The first reading today depicts a textbook example of a transfer of aggression to innocent individuals wanting to help people out of their prison. The Israelites were imprisoned in Egypt for 400 years. Moses and Aaron who facilitated their release became victims of transferred aggression. Like the story we told above, the people didn’t want freedom; they only wanted improvement of their prison condition. A lot of damage had already been done to their psyche in Egypt in such a way that they were no longer reasoning with their heads; they were rather being propelled by their instinct. Their bodies, no doubt, had been released from prison; but their minds were still in captivity. They had been conditioned to prefer imprisonment to freedom. What a pity!

But we are no different from the ancient people of Israel. Why is it that people prefer to go back to sin when Christ has already released us from the bondage of sin? Sometimes, a person might feel that he/she cannot be happy without committing a particular sin; just in the same manner that the Israelites felt they could not be happy without going back to Egypt. Anybody who attempts to talk the person into stopping that sin becomes a victim of transferred aggression, in the like manner in which Moses talked the Israelites into going out of Egypt and became a victim of transferred aggression. Egypt was attractive to the Israelites. There were alluring pans of meat and bread. But it portended death. On the other hand, the wilderness was rough and harsh; but it was the only way leading to the Promised Land and into freedom. In our own case, sin is always attractive and alluring. If one is not careful, one will be lured into it and unto damnation. Conversely, the state of grace, like the wilderness, appears dry and unattractive. But if one perseveres in it, very soon, one will have enough “manna” to eat like the Israelites.

However, one must be careful not to make eating of manna the reason for following Christ, as the Jews did in the gospel. This week’s gospel reading is the fallout from last week’s drama. Last week, we read how Jesus miraculously fed a multitude with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Seeing the sign, the people were sure he was the messiah and wanted to crown him king by force. However, Jesus escaped into the hills all alone to avoid being dragged into partisan politics. Continuing the same chapter today, the evangelist, John, recounts how the people started searching for Jesus after he disappeared but saw neither him nor his disciples. They had even to cross to Capernaum by boat looking for him. When they eventually found him, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ But Jesus was not to be flattered. He knew their intentions and put it to them bluntly: “You are not looking for me because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat”. This, unfortunately, is also the reason why many of us, especially in this community, are looking for Jesus. When we had all the bread we wanted; when there was partying every Sunday; when there were a lot to eat and drink and then fight after being drunk, we had a lot of people coming to church and claiming to be looking for Jesus. But once we removed the excessive partying aspect of the community, how many are still coming today?

Jesus certainly gives food. He says that his food endures to eternal life, unlike the ones people crave for that cannot last. The food that Jesus gives may not be tasty, but it is healthy; it gives life. Jesus is the bread of life. But people prefer fried rice and meat with salad because it is tastier than the sacramental bread that Jesus gives. This explains why, in this community, many people’s commitment with Jesus and with the church ended the day partying after every Sunday mass ended. You know, at some point in time, the Israelites discovered that manna was not even tasty, and they complained again about it. But what they did not realise was that manna was healthy. Let us not be deceived. Sugary things are tasty, but they are not healthy, at least not for adults. Sin is also like sugary things: very tasty but dangerous to health of body and soul. This is why St. Paul advices us in the second reading to put aside our old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires. He insists that our minds must be renewed by a spiritual revolution so that we can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth. Let us stop following Christ simply because of free food we stand to get; let us follow him because he is the way, the truth and the life.