Jesus said, “Feed the crowd.” The disciples said, “What are you talking about?” The group that day consisted of around 10,000 men, women, and children gathered to see and hear Jesus. The disciples had neither the food nor the money to provide a meal for such a large throng. The only provisions they could find were five barley loaves and two fish, which a boy was willing to share. With that single lunch, Jesus amply fed the crowd, as demonstrated by the twelve baskets of leftovers!

From that day on, the people were enamored with Jesus but for the wrong reasons. Jesus told them they were only following him because he gave them food. Then Jesus used the symbol of bread to explain why he came.

John 6:33-35
“For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

St. Augustine, one of the early church fathers, wrote a book titled Confessions. In this book, he describes his life apart from God and his quest to try everything to fill the emptiness in his heart. Augustine explained his search: “The reason was that inside me there was a famine of inward food. I was starving for You, my God.”

Can you relate to Augustine? Are you suffering from a famine of inward food? Are you starving for God? Jesus is the Bread of Life. He came down from heaven to satisfy our spiritual hunger. All who trust in him will be spiritually filled…forever. If you are searching and hungry, if you have unsuccessfully tried to find peace and contentment with all the stuff of the world, today I ask you to trust in Jesus, the Bread of Life. Use the following prayer to ask him to fill your heart and quench your spiritual thirst.

Lord Jesus,
I can relate to St. Augustine. I have tried everything to fill the void in my life and have come up empty. I long for spiritual meaning and satisfaction. I long for the Bread of Life. So today, I trust in you, Jesus, as the only One who can fill my famine of inward food. I am starving for you. Fill my life with your presence.
In your name, I pray. Amen.