Sunday, August 1, 2027 · Year B
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I am the bread of life
In the desert the Israelites grumble, and God rains down bread from heaven. The crowd that ate the loaves looks for Jesus, and He tells them to work for the food that endures for eternal life. “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger.”
Mass Readings
- First Reading Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
- Responsorial Psalm Psalm 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54
- Second Reading Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
- Gospel John 6:24-35
Open the Mass Readings on USCCB.org →
First Reading Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
The Israelites grumble against Moses and Aaron, wishing they had died in Egypt by the fleshpots. The Lord rains down bread from heaven. In the evening quail cover the camp, and in the morning a fine, flaky substance lies on the ground. Moses says, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.”
Psalm Psalm 78
The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Second Reading Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
Do not live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. Put away the old self of your former way of life, be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.
Gospel John 6:24-35
The crowd finds Jesus in Capernaum. He tells them they seek Him because they ate their fill, and urges them to work for food that endures for eternal life. They ask for a sign like the manna. Jesus answers that the Father gives the true bread from heaven: “I am the bread of life.”
Step Into the Story
A month out of Egypt the Israelites were already grumbling for its fleshpots. God sends quail at evening and, in the morning, flakes on the ground. “What is it?” they ask, in Hebrew man hu, and so it was called manna. No natural crop falls for forty years, doubles on Fridays and stops on the Sabbath. Some Jewish writings of the first century expected the Messiah to bring the manna back.
- 13th c. B.C.Manna in the desert
- 14 A.D.Tiberius becomes emperor
- c. 20 A.D.Antipas founds Tiberias
- c. 29 A.D.Five thousand are fed
- This week’s scene: c. 29 A.D.“I am the bread of life”
Wait on the beach at Capernaum the day after the loaves, near Passover of what was probably 29 A.D. Boats come in from Tiberias, down the shore, full of people who ate their fill yesterday and woke to find Jesus gone. Hear the hulls scrape onto the shingle, the questions shouted from boat to boat. Smell fish and lake water and the smoke of breakfast fires.
Follow them into the town. They find Him at last: “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Push to the front among the questioners. They want another sign, bread from heaven, as Moses gave in the desert. Feel the hunger in the crowd, and your own. Look into His face, and wait for His answer.
Encounter the Lord
Join the crowd in the synagogue at Capernaum. Yesterday you ate bread in the wilderness until you were full. Today you have come back for more. Jesus looks at you and says, “You are looking for me because you ate the loaves and were filled.”
It is easy to seek Jesus for what He gives rather than for who He is. The Israelites grumbled even as God fed them. Jesus wants to give you more than bread that perishes. He wants to give you Himself, the bread that satisfies the deepest hunger of the heart. Paul calls you to put away the old self and put on the new. St. Leo reminds you of your dignity: you share in God’s own life. Do not settle for less.
This week, notice what you hunger for most. At Communion, tell Jesus honestly, and ask Him to be the bread that satisfies you.
Know Your Faith
- 210·how Christ instituted the Eucharist
- 280·the basis of human dignity
- 337·how we are saved
The Signs of Bread and Wine
The signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ (CCC 1333). In the Old Covenant, bread and wine were offered as first fruits and recalled the manna in the desert (CCC 1334).
Bread from Heaven
The manna in the desert prefigured the Eucharist, the true bread from heaven (CCC 1094, 1334). Jesus is the bread of life who gives eternal life to those who believe (CCC 1338, 1406).
Life in Christ
Christians, made partakers of the divine nature, are called to lead a life worthy of the Gospel (CCC 1691-1692). Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, they are dead to sin and alive to God (CCC 1694).
The New Self
Following Christ, Christians strive to be imitators of God and to walk in love, conforming their thoughts, words and actions to the mind of Christ (CCC 1694-1696).
Key Takeaways
- Scripture
- Doctrine
- Sacraments
- Christian Life
- Scripture: God fed Israel in the desert with manna, a sign of the Eucharist.
- Sacraments: Jesus is the true bread from heaven who satisfies our deepest hunger.
- Christian Life: We should seek Jesus for who He is, not only for what He gives.
- Christian Life: Christians share in God’s life and are called to put on the new self.
Test Your Knowledge
True or false? Tap your answer.
The Israelites grumbled against Moses in the desert.
True.
The word manna comes from a Hebrew question meaning “What is it?”
True.
Jesus praised the crowd for seeking Him because of the sign.
False: He said they sought Him because they ate the loaves and were filled.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.”
True.
The Catechism teaches that the manna prefigured the Eucharist.
True.
Paul urges the Ephesians to keep their old self.
False: he urges them to put away the old self and put on the new.
St. Leo the Great wrote, “Christian, recognize your dignity.”
True.
The Bread of Life discourse took place in the synagogue at Capernaum.
True.
The manna could be stored for many days.
False: it spoiled if kept overnight, except before the Sabbath.
Jesus said whoever comes to Him will never hunger.
True.
Answers: 1 T · 2 T · 3 F (He said they sought Him because they ate the loaves and were filled) · 4 T · 5 T · 6 F (he urges them to put away the old self and put on the new) · 7 T · 8 T · 9 F (it spoiled if kept overnight, except before the Sabbath) · 10 T
Journal Prompts
What do I hunger for most deeply?
Do I seek Jesus more for what He gives or for who He is?
Where am I grumbling instead of trusting God’s daily provision?
What part of my “old self” do I need to put away?
Talk to God
Lord Jesus, You are the bread of life. I come to You hungry. Feed me with Yourself, satisfy the longing of my heart, and help me put away my old self and live the new life You give. Amen.