Monday of the Third Week of Easter
Oftentimes amid the mountain of tasks on our to-do lists, we lose sight of the larger course of our lives. It is not unlike the case when I am on a hike or a road trip, and sometimes I can get so caught up in the things immediately around me that I get off course. Surely, these small things can be and frequently are good; but if I don’t keep them in the right perspective, they can also be a distraction. And so, on a regular basis I need to take a moment to look at the map and think about the larger trajectory of my journey.
Well, in today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a reminder to look at the map and trajectory of our lives. Seeing people who witnessed Him multiply bread and want to be filled again, Jesus makes them take a step back, saying, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” In other words, Jesus is telling us that the goal of our journey is eternal life, and this eternal destination should guide and direct all our actions. Of course, Jesus is not asking us to forsake all our everyday duties, but He does desire us to keep them in the perspective of the larger journey toward eternal life.
So perhaps, following the advice of St. Francis de Sales, every morning as the first thing we do, we can take a few brief moments to remind ourselves that the day now beginning is given to us that we may work for the food that endures for eternal life. By this practice, in a sense, we are looking at the map that shows the journey of our lives. Then, resolving to use this day for that purpose, we can engage in the daily duties of life never departing from the way and path that is Christ Jesus Himself.