“In Chapter 6 of his gospel, St. John begins with the multiplication of the loaves and the reaction of the crowd,” says Father Jerry in today’s homily, “The people are so excited by the miracle that they want to make Jesus their king, instead of interpreting the event as a sign of a heavenly intervention. Reason and religion advise that when there are differences or conflicts between short-term and long-term interests and consequences, the long-term interest is the more important. The crowd came looking for Jesus for the short-term interest of food that perishes, rather than for the food that endures for eternal life.”