WISDOM NOTES

The Bible says, “When I was hungry, they gave me poison, when I was thirsty they gave me vinegar.” (Psalms 69:21)

Once a lady who had four children and husband, approached me in need for prayers. “I have heard that there is great power and might in prayer lead by you. Through those who have experienced it, I have heard in abundance and I desire to come and attend the same. But I am unable to complete my housework and come for the prayers. I can also not keep aside my household chores, isn’t it? Hence dear sister, please pray for the below mentioned petitions of mine.

Dear Ones in Christ, the attempt and trials to satisfy daily needs often leads us into ceaselessness and unhealthiness. How numerous are the growing needs of the mind which ceaselessly attempt to acquire the daily requirement and remain involved in this scramble? How terrible are those lonely nights? Those dark hours of rejection, bitter nights of sickness and bad traits, darkness of sinful inspiration.

The setting sun does not merely signify the turn of a day, but is a symbolic of loneliness, anxiety and sinful life.

There are many mothers who spend their entire day struggling merely for the perishable food. Their anxiety and fear mangled preparation leads them to weariness. If we share their life, then, it is merely a dam of sorrowful narration. This food becomes unenjoyable  for themselves as well as for others!

It is by realizing these thrusts of human life that Jesus Christ said;

“Do not work for food that spoils, indeed work for the food that lasts for eternal life.” (John 6:27)

The people asked Lord as to what they have to do in order to obtain this eternal bread?

Jesus Christ in turn has given a simple solution i.e. “Believe in the One sent by God.”

Question arose, ‘that our ancestors ate manna in the desert as a sign from Heaven.’ Similarly they asked Him to perform a miracle so that they may see and believe Him.

Jesus answered, “My Father gave you the real Bread from Heaven. The Bread from Heaven will impart new life to you.”

People thought that it would be wonderful to have this bread and so they asked for it. In a most powerful and clear way Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread which you desire. He who comes to Me, will never be hungry, he who believes in Me, will never be thirsty.”

As expected Lord Jesus neither had splendorous clothes, nor majestic appearance or cordon of soldiers and so they could not accept Him as a king.

They muttered and kept uttering words of mockery and began to ridicule within themselves. Knowing this Jesus Christ ascertained that, “I am not surprised by your grumbling because no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me, draws him to Me.”

Being filled with Divine Spirit, Jesus Christ again said, “The bread that I give, so that the world may live, it’s my flesh itself. “ (John 6:51)

The above said Words of Life nearly seemed as cheating references to their closed minds.

Again Lord Jesus spoke to them the truth, “My blood shall be your drink or else you will not have life.”

Among those who heard these words, most of them abandoned Him. Among his own disciples too many of them through this belief insulted Jesus Christ. Yet Jesus Christ stood firm without any change or alteration in the existing truth.

When He saw his disciples abandoning Him, he asked His Old twelve disciples, whether they too would like to leave.

Here we observe Jesus Christ giving total freedom to the believers.

Dear Ones in Christ, Those who live for the perishable food are unable to grasp about the eternal food of life. The knowledge about eternal life or about the labor to attain that life diminishes in them.

This bread shall be that which is pleasing to the eyes, delicious to eat and which instigates the passion of life. These can never go hand in hand.

He began to speak to them about their ancestors by saying, “I shall tell you about your ancestors who were stubborn and arguing in nature and who were faltering in their faith.”

“What does he mean by all this?”

When the faithless ancestors became thirsty in the desert, they began to complain against God.

God let streams of water flow from the rocks.

When they became hungry and rebelled against God, they asked for the food they desired and thus put the Lord to test. They ridiculed Lord by asking whether He was capable of setting food for them in the barren desert.

God became furious, He commanded the heavens, and opened the doors of Heaven and showered manna for them to eat. They ate the food, liked it and came satisfied. The Lord gave them what they had desired for.

But before their desire could be controlled i.e. when the food had not even passed down their throats, Lord’s anger rose up against them and also struck the powerful barriers against them.

How many spirits are there even today wandering about in this manner?

It could be a blessing to lend our attention to the deed of multiplication of bread by Lord Jesus at this moment.

Who was it that broke the five ordinary barley bread and fed a multitude of five thousand? Who ate the bread?

Those who became worthy to eat this bread are they who came out in search for the imperishable bread of life. This is the people who came to hear the word of God.

Similarly, Jesus Christ who is the bread of life himself shared and distributed that bread.

The bread which Lord Jesus who imparts eternal life, touched and broke multiplied, to fill the multitude. Hence, we have to become persons who are striving to attain what is eternal (the kingdom of God) and when it is found we ought to be living and existing in it. We also have to be prepared to give up everything for it.

Then the doors of Heaven shall be open and the Lord who gives life shall pour out the necessities of life and thus bless ones being. This is the real meaning of the above miracle.

But for those who did not pay proper reverence to God or to those who did not have proper honor for Lord, to them his body seemed merely as an ordinary food. Such persons cannot experience or admire the divinity and lost love which is filled in this food.

Unprepared acceptance of Holy Eucharist leads that person into death.  As the body of Jesus accepted in an unworthy manner enters into that person it gets transformed into the body of satan. Through this the person gets led more into sin. Thus his spirit dies of and gradually he becomes enslaved to diseases.

Hence, dear ones, we shall list ourselves and see the wisdom that Lord has given shall be first put into use to know God Himself.

           

St Paul writes, “The cup we use in the Lord’s Supper and for which we give thanks to God; when we drink from it, we are sharing in the Blood of Christ. And the Bread we break when we eat it, we are sharing in the Body of Christ. Because there is the one loaf of bread, all of us, though many are one body, for we all share the same loaf.”  (1 Corinthians 10)

Hence, praise and glory to this bread of Lord. Amen!