Have you ever wanted something so badly you could taste it? Is there something now you really want? For what do you really hunger in this life? Do you think if you had limitless money, as much as Bill Gates, you would be fulfilled? What about if you had perfect health, with bodies like Michael Phelps or Dana Vollmer the gold winning Olympic swimmers would you feel fulfilled? Do you think if you were really famous and people just recognized you as you walked down the street and wanted your picture and your autograph, then your life would be full? Still others may think that if they had the love of a certain someone that would make their lives feel fulfilled. For some of us we may think to ourselves, “Yes, if I had limitless money—that would make me feel pretty good!” Others who are having health issues may be thinking, “Money—scratch that, what good is money without health? I want to be healthy and young again.” Others want people to know who they are; they want people to think highly of them and be respected. Some think like the song lyrics “I don’t care if I have any money, as long as I have my sweet honey and a shack in the wood lands.“
But honestly, most of us don’t even think about these things. We go through life day by day. We do not think about life-fulfilling desires anymore. We all have been burned by our desires. As we grow older we grow more cynical. Remember as children how at birthday time and Christmas time we would look forward happily to getting presents getting things that would really make us happy. But as we grew older, we began to realize that things we wanted were nice but they really didn’t keep us content for very long. We wanted these different toys or games, or bikes, or cars and then after we had them awhile the newness wore off and the game or toy spent more and more time on the shelf, the bike or the car lost its newness and became utilitarian. When we are healthy we tend to take our health for granted. When we have money, well, money brings its own problems and worries. Those who are famous get tired of people wanting to know everything about them. And we hear about celebrities attacking the paparazzi. As we grow older we tend to think less about great desires and longings. We go through our days looking forward to good meals and good conversations and perhaps a time of relaxation. In short, we give up on wanting and desiring big things anymore. Perhaps we are afraid because we are certain we will be disappointed again.
In our Gospel reading today Jesus said to the people, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry; he who believes in will not thirst.” Jesus makes some remarkable claims here. He is not talking about hunger pangs in our stomachs; he is talking about the hunger in our souls, the longings in our lives. Those who hunger, those who are not afraid to desire again can find in Jesus that satisfaction to our desires, the fulfillment of life’s yearnings. C. S. Lewis once said, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” Lewis was right. He was describing our society and us sad to say. Most of us when we think about desires think about those desires described in the first letter of John where he writes about the desires of the body, the desires of the eyes and the pride of possessions. What are those? The desires of the body are those desires that we have that make our bodies feel good. These things are like sex, maybe eating, maybe relaxing. These desires in and of themselves are not evil. But to make our bodily pleasures the goal of our life is wrong; it is not simply wrong it will not satisfy the hunger of our souls. The desire of the eyes is when we look around and wish we had the stuff others have. And so in this case one is always working at getting stuff, getting things to have. Seeing those commercials on TV and wanting to get them, and then spending your time and energy to get them. Things, it is all about things. And here as in the desires of the body, it is not wrong to have things, but to make things the goal of our lives is wrong, and not just wrong, it will not satisfy the hunger of our souls. And the third area was the pride of possessions. This is when one has the stuff, or the position, or the fame and then feels pride or arrogance. The idea is that “I have made it here by the sweat of my own brow and I am better than those around me.” John tells us that these desires, the desires of the body, of the eyes and the pride of possessions are of this world. These desires, the hunger for these things does not come from God but comes from the world around us. He tells us that these things, these desires pass away with the world.
So what does Jesus mean when he says that the one who comes to him will not be hungry? How does Jesus fill these inner yearnings that we have? How does believing in Jesus satisfy one’s thirst? And what do we believe in Him about anyway?
Belief is first. We believe that Jesus will save us. It is that simple. We put our trust in Him. We trust that He is the one who makes us right in God’s sight, who is the offering for our sins and not ours only but the sins of the whole world; he is the only one who can help us. So first we trust that He is the Christ; He is the Savior of the world. It is all about Jesus.
Once we have taken that step, once we believe him, then we begin to follow him and follow his ways. How does he satisfy our hunger? He satisfies our hunger by first changing our focus. As followers of Jesus we are no longer focusing on our own wants and desires. Now it is not all about me. Now it is not all about what I want. Now the desires of the world are not my goals. I still like making my body feel good, but that is no longer a life goal. I still like things. I want to have nice possessions as opposed to shoddy possessions, but accumulating possessions is no longer why I work. As for the pride of life, pride in position and pride in possessions, pride in any form is dangerous. So if life is no longer all about me then what is it about? Jesus teaches us in the greatest commandments that it is about God and it is about my neighbor. Those now are the two areas of my life that I am to be most concerned about.
How do I make God or Jesus my focus in life; how do I make Him my main desire? We need to spend time with him. Talk to Him, pray. Find out about him, what is he really like? Read the Bible and find out; think about who God is and what he is like. And come to church and receive the Sacraments. In some mystical way, in some mysterious way, we take Jesus into us and become part of him through that. But do not think that receiving the Eucharist only without praying and learning who He is will make him your main desire in life. We are body, mind, and spirit. All of those areas need to turn towards God.
How about my neighbor? How do I make my neighbor a focus of my life? Remember the sequence; it has to be God first and then our neighbors. As we turn to God more and more, God is going to bring people and their needs to our attention. And from there we need to help those to whom we are directed.
What do you really want? What do you desire? What is your goal in life? Choose something to desire, something to want, something to go after that is worthy of your time and your life. Choose something that has eternal value. Focus or refocus your life on Jesus.