A DEEP HUNGER

Have you ever felt that nagging sense of incompleteness, that feeling that something's missing, that you’re . . . hungry? We often try to fill this void with fleeting things – success, possessions, relationships – but the emptiness persists. Jesus addressed this hunger directly. Let’s take a look at the "I AM" statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, starting with "I AM the bread of life” (John 6:35).

Before we get to that gnawing emptiness that keeps us awake at night, it’s important to understand that when Jesus uses "I AM," it's more than just an affirmation of existence. It’s the weightiest claim that can be made.

To understand the weight of "I AM," consider Exodus 3:14: "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" In this moment, God declares His eternal, self-sufficient nature. When Jesus uses "I AM," He's claiming that same divine authority and power, positioning Himself as the source of true sustenance.

So, when Jesus states that he is the Bread of Life, He addresses the deepest hunger of our souls. This hunger is real. As human beings, we universally crave satisfaction. But so often—as we have from the beginning (see Genesis 3)—we look in all the wrong places.

Jesus offers something different: Himself. He's not a temporary fix; He's the essential nourishment our souls crave for satisfaction and need for survival.

Are you aware of that hunger in your own life? This week, we invite you to consider what truly nourishes you.

Let's Reflect: What are some things you've been trying to use to "fill" yourself up? How might turning to Jesus as the Bread of Life bring a different kind of satisfaction?

Let's Pray: Lord, I recognize the deep longings within me, the hunger that nothing I’ve come up with has been able to satisfy. Help me to turn away from these temporary fixes and to recognize You as the true Bread of Life. Reveal to me the ways I've been trying to fill myself with things that don't last. I ask for the grace to believe that You alone can truly satisfy. Amen.