Monday 3rd week of Easter
"Jn 6:22-29"
When the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caperna-um, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life."
This happened right after the multiplication of the loaves and fish. These people came after Jesus again but maybe not for the right reason. They ate delicious loaves and fish for free and, perhaps, just wanted some more! So Jesus invited them not to look for ordinary bread, but for the Bread of Heaven: the Eucharist. That is the content of the whole sixth chapter of St John.
At the end of this chapter we read that "many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him." We can recognise people like that today: they follow Him when it is easy, when it isn't demanding, when they need something, but not when Jesus is crucified, not when He asks for help, for their time, for their presence in the Holy Mass or before the Tabernacle, for their time of prayer... Those are not 'real' friends of Jesus. They are like 'friends' who turn up to a birthday party without a present and disappear before it is time to clear up. It's like a one-way friendship: there is no 'give and take'. They take but don't give.
In the summer of 1921 three boys discovered Red Army soldiers breaking into the church of Petrograd, near Finland. They resolved to "shield the dear, loving Jesus" and entered the church, greeting the soldiers. When the soldiers threatened to shoot they replied that they "would not suffer their dear Jesus to be insulted." Two boys were killed. The third boy blocked the altar steps with his body and was brutally beaten. Before he died, though, he managed to tell the people of the village what had happened: Jesus had appeared on the altar steps and blessed the two dead boys. The soldiers screamed that the church was haunted and fled. The third boy died radiant, saying, "We have shielded Jesus." My Mother, may I learn from you to shield Jesus in the Eucharist with my prayer and love.
