How hungry are you?

Three seekers were encouraged to find what had been called the cave of wisdom and life. They made careful preparations for what would be a challenging and arduous journey. When they reached the place of the cave they noted a guard at the entrance. They were not permitted to enter the cave until they had spoken to the guard. He had only one question of them, and he demanded that they answer only after talking it over with one another. He assured them that they would have a good guide to lead them through the regions of the cave. His question was a simple one, “How far into the cave of wisdom and life do you wish to go?”

 

The three travelers took counsel together and then returned to the guard. Their response was, “Oh, not very far. We just want to go far enough into the cave so that we can say that we have been there.”

 

The response of the guard manifested none of his great disappointment as he summoned someone to lead the three seekers a short distance into the cave and then watched them set out again after a very short time, set out to make the journey back to their own land.

 

In today’s gospel reading related to the Eucharist, you have various persons who are obviously seeking something. There is a vast crowd that comes to Jesus, and they are at least curious about him. Why did they come? What did they hope to get?

 

Right off the bat, Jesus says that many came to him because he was a free meal ticket. He says, “Amen, amen, I say to you,” [which makes it a rather formal pronouncement] “you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” They were physically hungry and Jesus fed them, and even though it appeared to be a miracle [feeding thousands with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish], that doesn’t arouse their curiosity or make them wonder, at a deeper level, who Jesus is, where he gets his power, or how they might profit further by getting to know him better, listening more intently to his message, and asking what he might provide at a spiritual level.

 

Now, it is obvious from the gospels that Jesus is concerned about human, physical hunger. When he saw the pitiable condition of the crowd, it was as if he were punched in the stomach, moved by deep compassion for them. And so, he does indeed feed their bodies.

 

But then Jesus dialogues with those who want to go deeper: “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life.” We can see that they are aware of their religious tradition because they speak about the manna that God gave their ancestors in the desert when they complained that they were hungry. Right, Jesus says, true bread that comes from God. But what are you hungry for? Once your stomachs are full…are you hungry for a meaningful existence? Are you hungry to overcome a sense of loneliness? Are you restlessly hungry, dashing from one thing to the next, and you’re still not satisfied? Do you really want to have all your hungers fulfilled? Well, then, listen to what I offer: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

 

So now it’s our turn. We seekers stand at the entrance of the cave of wisdom and life. We come here for the Eucharist, but why? Using the imagery of the cave, how far do we want to go in? Just a short way in, like the three seekers, so we can basically say, I’ve been there? I’ve taken care of the obligation to be present for Mass? Or do we seek something more? Do you come here week after week, but still leave hungry? Jesus promises “whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Is that something you want? Do you want to stop being lonely? Do you want a feeling of fulfillment? Do you want real connection, a sense of belonging? Well, that means you want to go deeper into the cave of life and wisdom, deeper into the mysterious life-giving power of Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist. And that takes time, time to get to know one another, just as it took time with your best friends, time spent in prayer, time really listening, time aching, hungering, thirsting: Jesus, my Lord and my God, I ache for you! I hunger! I thirst! There are times when I feel like I’m running on empty! Feed me, lead me, guide me….

 

I’ve checked out other parts of the cave, I’ve dabbled in this and that, but nothing has really clicked, nothing else has ever fully satisfied. [If you can say that, you’re on your way.] You’re really searching. You know you can’t do it on your own. You know you need God to feed you, to hold you, to heal you.

 

If you’re sick of being hungry, pray…Jesus, help me to find the way; Jesus, heal me, hold me, feed me. I don’t want to be hungry anymore!

 

Keep coming to the Source of life itself. Come to Jesus, really come to him with empty hands and open heart. Don’t settle for being able to say that you’ve been to Mass. Come because, deep inside, you’re starving, and you just don’t want to be hungry anymore. Jesus has promised: “Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Go deeper into that cave of life and wisdom, go deeper into the life-giving mystery of the Eucharist—the life and love of Jesus himself—and be fed, really be fed!

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