Spiritual Diet

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

It has been a while, but I am back. I think today’s Gospel reading (John 6:22-29) has a special meaning as it reminds me the importance of good dietary habits. Not necessarily of the earthly kind, but of the spiritual kind. I realized that a major part of my spiritual needs were satisfied during my preparation of this message. I pray that these messages also help to fulfill some of your spiritual needs as well.

The setting for today’s Gospel reading takes place just after Jesus fed the 5000 and he walked on water. Jesus mystically moves about the area transporting himself and his followers with him. How else would 5000 people move from onside of the lake to other with no mass transit? Can you image what they thought when they went to sleep on one side of the lake and woke up on the other?

His disciples are pretty nervous at this time. They asked Jesus, “Rabbi, when did you come here?" and Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal." This response begs the question, “What are you seeking in your life?” Do you desire the nourishment of the Lord or are you seeking material goods? These followers of Jesus, the 5000 he just fed, were hungry for spiritual growth. Because they were craving spiritual nourishment, Jesus transported them with him. So I ask again, what are your desires; do you want to be transported with Christ, our do you desire things that are not important? What is it that you seek?

To seek God, you must believe in God. You can not just get up one day and decide to believe and that’s it. You can not get up and say that Jesus Christ is my Lord and somehow you’re forever saved. It’s not that simple. We must work at our faith. We must exercise. The stronger our beliefs, the more we will need to exercise. The more we exercise, the stronger our faith will grow. A well balanced healthy diet plan includes both sound nourishment and regular exercise. If you want to get stronger in your faith and closer to Heaven on Earth, you must exercise daily. You must expose yourself to daily prayer, meditation and examine your conscience.

During lent, we started an exercise program; we committed to deeper prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We need to take the habits we formed during lent and glorify them during the 50 day Easter Season. When you get up in the morning, start the day with the prayer that Jesus taught us – the Our Father. At lunch time, be a symbol of your faith by thanking God for the daily bread that he has provided at the table. In the evening, stop – close your eyes and silence your thoughts. Reflect upon the day. Pray for the light of God to open your eyes to allow you to see what God has done for you in your actions that day. Review your day. Identify both the good things and the bad things that happened. Thank God for the good things and ask God to give you strength to fight the bad things. Choose one of the things that happened to you that day. It could be a good or bad thing – but one that is strong in your mind. Pray about that item. Give special praise to God if it was a blessing; or petition God if it was not good Christian behavior. Then, imagine tomorrow. What will you do tomorrow to make the day better; to bring the light of God into the world. Remember – it is our obligation to spread the Word through our actions and our work.

A Simple Prayer.

Most Heavenly Father You sent your only son so we could receive the imperishable bread of life, May we be nourished in its strength to believe in you; May we be nourished in you to do your works; May the fruits of our labor be satisfying and direct us to heaven.

Yours in Christ Michael Marcon