Tuesday - Third Week of Easter

Gospel – John 6:30-35

Knead to Know

Cooking Class

Over the past month or so, I gathered together a couple groups of my altar servers for a cooking class!  They learned not only my recipe for zucchini chocolate chip muffins but how to make them from scratch!  And, YES, they took home their finished products, or at least the muffins they didn’t wolf down as soon as they came out of the oven!  It was a fun, wonderful (and messy) experience!  Who knew that cracking eggs and measuring out flour could be so ‘untidy’.  But it brought home the lesson that, in order to get those yummy muffins, it takes time, effort and a heaping cup of patience.

And it reminded me not only of their loyal service but those long months of Covid when they missed their Mass ministry.  So from time to time during the pandemic, I stayed in touch with them by dropping off goodie bags filled with chocolate chip cookies, zucchini chocolate muffins and, of course, samplings of my zucchini bread. 

So when we gathered for the cooking class, I told them that, now that they have the recipe, I can cut way back on my zucchini bread-making.  One eighth grader immediately piped up “Ours still won’t be as good as yours.” 

And that brings us to today’s Gospel. Well, so much for yesterday’s budding faith that the crowd following Jesus seemed to be showing.  Today it becomes obvious – all they are interested in is another miracle – give us another meal, give us more bread like Moses did with manna in the desert.  It’s like they are a group of little kids in front of a magician – ooh, cool, do it again!  Jesus’ response, however, is not one of action, but of words.  I am the Bread of Life!  Your fathers had manna from heaven in the desert but I am giving the Bread of Eternal Life!

Jesus offers us the Bread of Life, His own Body and Blood in the Eucharist.  We know that, in order to attain eternal life, it is going to take work, effort, prayer, good works, time and a lot of patience, especially with ourselves.  But it is worth the effort, right?  May we all stop looking for quick, easy miracles like the crowd in today’s Gospel.  Set aside time for just you and God.  And be patient. Like a baker!   Give yourself the time for your faith to grow and rise.  And don’t be so anxious and worried about how things will turn out!   And remember that God is here and He has the words, the Bread, of eternal life!