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Gospel Reading for April 20, 2026 – John 6: 22-29
EVER-PRESENCE
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.] The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
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“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.”
Upon reading this line from today’s Gospel, we immediately see the directness of Jesus. Without mincing words, he reminds us that what perishes in this life is far less important than the things of the Spirit, which endure forever.
There is nothing wrong with seeking him in times of need—when we are going through difficulties, striving to achieve something, or praying for healing for ourselves or our loved ones. Yet if we seek him only for these temporal concerns, we risk missing the deeper and greater gift: a true and lasting relationship with the Divine.
How important it is, then, to recognize the signs in our lives—signs of his EVER-PRESENCE in moments that seem ordinary, in details we often take for granted.
If we learn to perceive these signs, how truly blessed we are!
Lord Jesus, thank you for being EVER-PRESENT in our lives!
