First Reading: Ex 16:2-4, 12-15
Second Reading: Eph 4:17, 20-24
“What are you looking for?”
(Jn 1:38) is the intriguing question posed by Jesus to two disciples of John
who were coming behind Him. They were going behind Him to cling to Him if Jesus
were to be the real Lamb of God as said by their master John (Jn 1:36). They were
very clear about their purpose of going behind Jesus. And so, they were able to
bring others to Jesus after their experience with Him. In the readings of
today, we have people who go behind YHWH God and Jesus without having a clear
purpose. In the first reading we notice the complaint that the Hebrews make to
Moses with regard to lack of food and proper material comfort. They saw the
wonders of God in Egypt, they were even terrified by the mighty hand of God. Now
they have forgotten all those and grumble that God who did all those mighty
works is not caring for them. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob called them out
of Egypt to establish a relationship with them. The liberation from slavery was
only an act of God’s magnanimity to show His interest over them. The liberated
people could not grasp the purpose behind this liberation act. They reduced
that mighty act of God as act proper to big being God for which He need not to
have any purpose. This improper understanding of God blinds them from seeing
God as being who is interested in having a relationship with them. They rebel
against Moses and Aaron for not giving them good food. However, God is gracious
and kind. He fulfils their request by sending them Manna and meat (Ex 16:12-15).
In the Gospel too we have
people who come in search of Jesus for their material comfort. Initially they
all came to listen to Jesus. They never worried about their material difficulty
(food, travel… ) in spending time with Jesus. Without the request of the
people, Jesus provides them food out of five barely loaves and two fish (Jn 6: 9,
13). The reception of this miraculous food turns their motive towards Jesus. The
people who came to hear and get healed from Prophet Jesus are now making all
efforts as possible to hold on to Jesus, the producer of food. They want to be
with Jesus just as their ancestors were with God in the wilderness, so that they
too can get miraculous food daily similar to that of manna (Ex 16:15). Jesus reprimands them for their corrupt motive. They
need to introspect and see what are they looking for?
In our lives too we look for
Jesus and others. But for what purpose? What is the motivation behind our
search for God and others? It is normal that in a theistic country like ours –
India – looking for God or Jesus is rather natural. Some of us may hold on to
Jesus just like others have affiliation with their own gods and goddesses. In this
way we may reduce the reality of our God and His universal nature. Our failure
to see Jesus as the only truth in the universe makes us to relate with Him on
the basis of devotion and religiosity. This view paralyses our capacity to
establish a spousal union with Him. Professing one’s allegiance to God just for
security, favour and as part of conventional setting has no enrichment. This is
only a projection of how one looks at his or her fellow human beings. If one
has a relationship with the other human being just to gain a favour and avoid
unnecessary troubles then there is no real love. It is possible that one may
have husband or wife just for the sake of society, family and personal security.
Here there is no true love. Caring for the elderly in the family, looking after
children, spending time with friends and colleagues and doing some works of
charity may even proceed from one’s selfish motive. We may do all these to maintain
harmony in our surroundings. Therefore, one has to ask, what is the motive I
have for doing all these? What am I aiming at in doing all these? What am I looking
for? The discovery of one’s motivation to do all these will tell us who s/he
is? If we don’t have pure love in doing all these then we may not have real
love in looking for Jesus. Remember, “For whoever does not love their brother
and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1Jn
4:20). If you don’t look for your fellow human being for relationship then you
can’t look at your God as being who is interested in having a spousal
relationship.
On this Sunday, let us ask
ourselves, what are we looking for? What is the purpose behind all our religious
duties and practices? The Hebrews could not have a holistic motive and people
of Jesus’ time could not have stable motive – they had shifted from spiritual to
material upon witnessing the miracle of the multiplication of the bread. Where do
we stand? In the second reading St. Paul tells Ephesians not to have motives
like gentiles. Who are we? Wishing you all a happy introspective Sunday.
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