Gospel (Jn 6,22-29) - The next day, the crowd, remaining on the other side of the sea, saw that there was only one boat and that Jesus had not boarded the boat with his disciples, but his disciples had left alone. Other boats had arrived from Tiberias, near the place where they had eaten the bread, after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was no longer there and neither were his disciples, they got into boats and headed towards Capernaum to look for Jesus. They found him on the other side of the sea and said to him: «Rabbi, when did you come here? ». Jesus answered them: «Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were satisfied. Busy yourselves, not for the food that does not last, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. Because the Father, God, has set his seal on him." They then said to him: "What must we do to do the works of God?". Jesus answered them: "This is the work of God: that you believe in him whom he has sent."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

After the multiplication of the loaves, the crowd, remaining on the other side of the sea, seeing that neither Jesus nor the disciples were there anymore, got into other boats that had come from Tiberias, which was near the place where they had eaten the bread. miraculously multiplied, and came to Capernaum to look for Jesus. They found him "beyond the sea", notes the evangelist. In fact, Jesus was not where they were looking for him. He was not the "king" they wanted to satisfy their aspirations, perhaps legitimate and understandable. The prophet Isaiah already reported the words of the Lord to his people: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, your ways are not my ways" (55.8). The search for the Lord requires going beyond oneself and one's habits, even religious ones. That crowd therefore had to go further, much further, truly "beyond the sea", than they thought. They had not understood the profound meaning of the multiplication of the loaves. In fact, when they come to Jesus, resentful as if he had abandoned them, they ask him: "When did you come here?", and he responds by unmasking the egocentric understanding of the miracle of the loaves: "You seek me not because you have seen signs, but because you ate those loaves and were satisfied." In fact, they had not understood the "sign", that is, the spiritual meaning of that miracle that Jesus had performed. In fact, the miracles were not simply the manifestation of Jesus' power; they were rather "signs" that indicated the new kingdom that he had come to establish on earth. Those signs asked for the conversion of heart for those who received them and for those who saw them, that is, the choice to be with Jesus, to follow him and to participate with him in the work of transforming the world that those "signs" already indicated. Jesus, like the good shepherd who leads his flock, explains to that crowd the meaning of the miracle they had witnessed. And he says to them: "Do not work for the food that does not last, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you." In other words: "overcome the narrow horizon of satiety for yourselves and seek the food that does not perish", that food that feeds forever. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says to his disciples: "Therefore do not ask what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not be anxious; the people of the world are concerned about all these things; but your Father knows that you have need of them. Rather, seek the Kingdom of God, and these things will be added to you" (Luke 12:29-31). The bread that comes from heaven is Jesus himself, he is the Kingdom, the justice, the limitless love that the Father has given to men. We read in the Gospel of Thomas a sentence that was pronounced by Jesus: "He who is near me is near the fire. He who is far from me is far from the Kingdom" (82). Welcoming this gift with all our heart and making it our daily food is the "work" that the believer is called to accomplish. It is not a vague feeling, it is a real "work", which requires choice, decision, commitment, work, effort and above all passionate and total involvement. And therefore a great joy. No one can delegate this "work" to others. Becoming disciples of Jesus means letting the Gospel shape our lives, our minds, our hearts, until we become spiritual men and women. As we listen to the Word of God and commit ourselves to following it, we see our eyes sharpen and Jesus appears to us as the true bread that came down from heaven that nourishes our hearts and supports us in life.