[stephenkhoo]

WORK FOR FOOD THAT ENDURES TO ETERNAL LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 6:8-15; JOHN 6:22-29
http://www.universalis.com/20140505/mass.htm

After the miracle of the loaves, the people were desperately seeking for Jesus. And “when they found him on the other side, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’” But Jesus knew that this was not because they were concerned about Him because He said, “I tell you most solemnly, you are not looking for me because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat.”


Before we judge these people for coming to Jesus with ulterior motives, we too are culpable of coming to Jesus for the wrong reasons. We come to Him for a good life, for blessings, for health, for worldly peace and worldly joy. We seek to have a comfortable life free from pain and suffering. We think that if we live a good life, then God should bless us. We believe that good things will happen to good people.


But this is not always the case. The good also suffer, sometimes even unjustly. Sometimes because we do good, we get into trouble. In fact, quite often, we are persecuted because we speak the truth and we work for justice.


For this reason, we should not be surprised that we have to suffer. This is because our Master Himself suffered. In fact, to share in Christ’s suffering and be joyful still is Christian joy. If joy means to be free from all tensions, pains, hard work and the struggles of daily life, this is merely worldly joy.


St Stephen was filled with grace and power, working great wonders and signs and yet was slandered, falsely accused and stoned to death. What happened to Stephen also happened earlier to his Master, Jesus. Jesus who came to give bread and life was ultimately rejected by His own people and put to death by the authorities.


That is why Jesus warns us not to “work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to eternal life, the kind of food the Son of Man is offering you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.” Man does not live on bread alone. We cannot live for this world alone for that would be working for the food that perishes. Everything in this world is transient. If we are intent on seeking material rewards, we are going to be sadly disappointed. Even if we can possess them, they will not last. More often than not, we will lose out in terms of material gains to worldly and evil people, but we will find true peace and joy.


For this reason, our minds must be set on heavenly things even as we live out our obligations and life on earth. We read today how St Stephen remained calm in the face of slander and detractions, and eventual execution. In spite of the false accusations, St Stephen remained calm and “his face appeared to them like the face of an angel.”


Indeed, we must not allow ourselves to always seek immediate gratification. We must live where our future ultimately lies, which is in God alone. This is what Jesus is urging us when He tells us to seek for the food that leads to eternal life. We must not follow the ways of the world. G. K. Chesterton once said, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” So if our eyes are set on heaven and on Jesus, we will find peace and freedom even when we face tremendous difficulties and opposition in our lives.


Where, then, did Stephen get the strength to remain so firm in his beliefs and so tranquil under trial and persecution? If he was able to remain composed before the Sanhedrin, the leaders of Judaism, it was because he was confident of what he said and did. His faith was in Jesus, who will save him from death, especially eternal death, that is, death of the soul. He lived not only for this world but for the world to come. Hence, he was not afraid to die for the truth and for proclaiming Jesus as the Risen Lord.


But not only did he believe in Jesus, he also lived his life in Christ. That explains why St Stephen is considered the first martyr, a witness, for Christ. He truly deserves the title because of his supreme witness for the faith to the extent of laying down his life as the ultimate testimony of his love for God and his conviction in Jesus as the Saviour. Not only did he die for Jesus, but he also died the same way Jesus died, forgiving and praying for his enemies. His life was one with Christ. It must be said that Christ lives in Him and thus he was able to live out the passion and death of Christ.


This is what Jesus is asking of us today. When the people asked Jesus, “’What must we do if we are to do the works that God wants?’ Jesus gave them this answer, ‘This is working for God: you must believe in the one he has sent.’” Jesus’ answer is so simple and yet very profound. Yes, the only work that is required of us is to believe in Jesus, the Son sent by the Father. If we surrender our lives to Jesus, we will share in His life on earth and in the future.


How, then, can we deepen our faith in Jesus? There is no other way except to come to Jesus who declares Himself to be the Bread of life. We must deepen our faith in Jesus through a life of prayer, reflecting on the Word of God and most of all, in the reception of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. It is in the celebration of the Eucharist that we continue to die with Jesus to our fears and sinfulness and rise with Him to the new life He gives us in the Resurrection. By contemplating on His love for us in the Passion and by contemplating on Christ’s victory over sin and death in the Resurrection, we will find hope and confidence to face all the challenges in life.


In this way, we will also become like St Stephen who was filled with grace and wisdom. When we live in a state of grace and in unity with Jesus the Bread of Life, we can act like Him because we share in His mind and His heart. Sharing in His life, we will always be at peace even when we face tribulations in our lives. Yes, at the end of the day, only God can satisfy the hunger of our heart and soul. And what is it that can satisfy us, if not truth, life and love? Let us take up the challenge Isaiah posed to us, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2)

Written by The Most Rev Msgr William Goh
Archbishop of Singapore