John

After this, Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias

and large crowds followed him because of the signs they saw when he healed the sick.

He went up on the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

The Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

Then, lifting his eyes, Jesus saw the crowds coming toward him and asked Philip:

“Where shall we buy bread so that these people may eat?”

He said this to test Philip, because he himself knew what he was going to do.

Philip answered him:

“Two hundred silver coins wouldn’t buy enough bread for each of them to have a piece.”

One of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said:

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”

Jesus said:

“Make the people sit down.”

There was plenty of grass there, so they sat down, about five thousand in all.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish, giving them as much as they wanted.

When they had eaten enough, he told his disciples:

“Gather up the pieces left over, that nothing may be lost.”

So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with bread, that is, with pieces of the five barley loaves leftover from those who had eaten.

When the people saw the sign Jesus had performed, they said:

“This is really the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”

Jesus realized they would come and force him to be king, so he went to the mountain alone.

Jesus Walks on Water

When evening arrived, the disciples headed down to the shore.

After a while, they boarded a boat to go to Capernaum on the other side of the sea, because it was getting dark and Jesus had not yet joined them.

The sea was becoming rough as a strong wind was blowing.

They had rowed about three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and he was drawing near to the boat. They were frightened,

but he said to them:

“It is I! Don’t be afraid!”

They wanted to take him into the boat, but immediately the boat was at the shore they were heading to.

Eucharistic Discourse

Jesus, Food that Does Not Perish

The next day, the people who had stayed across the sea realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples; instead, the disciples had gone away alone.

Other boats from Tiberias arrived near the place where all these people had eaten the bread.

When they saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him:

“Rabbi, when did you come here?”

Jesus answered them and said:

“Truly, I say to you, you are looking for me, not because of the signs you have seen, but because you ate bread and were satisfied.

Work then, not for food that perishes, but for the food that lasts, which gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give it to you, for he is the one on whom the Father has placed his seal.”

Then the Jews asked him:

“What shall we do? What are the works that God wants us to do?”

Jesus answered them:

“The work God wants is this: that you believe in the One whom God has sent.”

They then said:

“What sign can you do that we may see and believe in you. What can you do?

Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

Jesus then said to them:

“Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

The bread God gives is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

So the people said to him:

“Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them:

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Nevertheless, as I said, you refuse to believe, even when you have seen.

Yet all those whom the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will not turn away.

For I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.

And the will of him who sent me is that I lose nothing of what he has given me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day.

This is the will of the Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.

The Jews murmured because Jesus had said:

“I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

And they said:

“This man is the son of Joseph, isn’t he? We know his father and mother. How can he say that he has come down from heaven?”

Jesus answered them:

“Do not murmur among yourselves.

No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise him up on the last day.

It has been written in the Prophets: They shall all be taught by God. So whoever listens and learns from my Father comes to me.

For no one has seen the Father except the one who comes from God; he has seen the Father.

Truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

I am the bread of life.

Although your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, they died.

Here you have the bread from heaven, so that you may eat of it and not die.

I am the living bread from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews were arguing among themselves:

“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

Jesus said to them:

“Truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me and I in them.

Just as the Father, who is life, sent me and I have life from the Father, so whoever feeds on me will have life from me.

This is the bread from heaven; not like that of your ancestors who ate and later died.

Those who eat this bread will live forever.”

He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

After hearing this, many of Jesus’ followers said:

“This language is hard! Who can accept it?”

Jesus was aware that his disciples were murmuring about this, and so he said to them:

“Does this shock you?

Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

It is the spirit that gives life, not the flesh. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

But among you, some do not believe.”

Jesus knew from the beginning who would not believe and who would betray him.

So he added:

“As I have told you, no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by my Father.”

After this, many disciples withdrew and no longer followed him.

Jesus then asked the Twelve:

“Will you also go away?”

Simon Peter answered him:

“LORD, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

We now believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Jesus said to them:

“I chose you, the Twelve, did I not? Yet one of you is a devil.”

He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.