C Mt 9:36-10:8 Jun 7-26 When God Becomes Food: The Intimacy That Confuses and Terrifies Us

Today's reading needs to be unpacked to grasp the full meaning of the Gospel. Likely, this Gospel is of the same caliber as many of Jesus' statements that were meant to challenge the people and focus on the passion of the teachings. Other examples of this model include Matthew 18:9: "It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell." Another example is from Matthew 18:8–9, where He adds the hand and foot together: "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter life lame or maimed than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into eternal fire." Likely, these readings were not meant to be taken literally; they powerfully describe the passion of Jesus' teaching.

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Mt 9:36-10:8   When God Becomes Food: The Intimacy That Confuses and Terrifies Us

Hello, and welcome—whether you're a regular listener or joining for the first time. I'm glad you're here.

My name is Peter Doherty. I'm a Catholic priest and psychologist with a deep interest in the relationship between psychology and spirituality. For a long time, these two fields have viewed each other with suspicion. Yet, in many ways, they belong together. Healthy psychology can strengthen our spiritual lives, and authentic spirituality—grounded in psychological well-being—can bring deeper meaning and resilience to our everyday experience.

In this podcast, I reflect on the Gospel reading for the coming week. It's designed as a resource for those preparing homilies, as well as for anyone who teaches, studies, or simply wants to engage more deeply with Scripture. If you're looking to go further, I encourage you to explore earlier episodes. I draw on psychological research, biblical scholarship, and insights from anthropology to help make the Gospel relevant and accessible.

I approach Scripture as a guide for faith and spiritual growth. The biblical authors understood history differently than we do today, and their writings are richly layered—speaking to identity, faith, and the human experience. There is always more wisdom to discover.

If you find this podcast helpful, I invite you to listen in each week. I also welcome your questions and comments—I value the conversation. And if you think others might benefit, please consider sharing it. If you're listening on YouTube, feel free to leave a review, you can support the podcast by becoming a subscriber, and let me know where you're tuning in from.

In today's podcast, we hear from the Gospel of John 6:51–59. This Gospel will be read in churches on June 7, 2026. One of my roles as a priest is to focus on the lesson of the Scriptures and not to get caught up in the times that Jesus spoke. In this Gospel, Jesus shocks his listeners by stating that he is the living bread to be eaten. He describes his flesh as being for the life of the world, speaking of eating his body and drinking his blood. His words shocked his listeners then, and they probably confuse modern listeners as they try to make sense of His words.

Today's reading needs to be unpacked to grasp the full meaning of the Gospel. Likely, this Gospel is of the same caliber as many of Jesus' statements that were meant to challenge the people and focus on the passion of the teachings. Other examples of this model include Matthew 18:9: "It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell." Another example also  from Matthew , where He adds the hand and foot together: "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter life lame or maimed than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into eternal fire." Likely, these readings were not meant to be taken literally; they powerfully describe the passion of Jesus' teaching.

Bread and wine are mentioned many times in both the New and Old Testaments. In Exodus 16, God made manna, bread that fell from the skies to feed the Hebrews in the desert. The Israelites ate unleavened bread at the first Passover, their last night of slavery. The first miracle of Jesus was to make wine at a wedding feast.

We have two examples of Jesus multiplying loaves of bread to feed thousands: Mark 6:30–44, where He fed 5,000 individuals, and Matthew 15:32–39, where Jesus fed a crowd of 4,000 people. Bread was an essential food at this time.

Bread is essential to many cultures in the world, past and present. Bread would be made every day except on the Sabbath. There was a process of getting the flour, the yeast, kneading the dough, and watching it rise. Of course, there was the aroma of freshly baked bread. It is not surprising that Jesus would use a common experience of the people as a metaphor to speak of God's relationship with His people.

Unfortunately, for most places on earth, we have moved away from focusing on bread. For most of us, bread is bought, already sliced and packaged at a store. We have different types of bread: whole wheat, rye, even gluten-free. For those needing to lose weight, bread is the first thing off the menu. The relationship we had with bread has changed.

Wine, too, was closely linked to life. In many cases, it was safer than water. There was a celebrative character about it. Wine was versatile; it could be used to clean wounds. Jesus did refer to vineyards, and I suspect they were common. Wine was grounding; you could make it at certain times of the year, after the harvest. People would have been familiar with winemaking. Even today, many communities make their own wine.

In our modern-day Eucharist celebrations, we have moved away from the concept of bread and wine. I'd like to share a quote from an unknown Eastern rite bishop who humorously said, "It takes more faith to believe that a communion wafer is bread than to believe that it is the Body of Christ." To my listeners who were adults during the 1970s, remember the days when it was popular to use real bread. This practice  has come to fall out of favor.

Unfortunately, many parishes have stopped sharing the cup due to fears from COVID. Have we moved away from what Eucharist could be?

I do wonder why Jesus taught this lesson. It's clear that most people did not understand. John describes them as quarreling. I am reluctant to focus on one word, but it is clear the people did not respond well to what Jesus was trying to communicate. Jesus knew that those who were flexible in their thinking would be able to follow what Jesus was trying to teach. Those who were rigid, unable to think "outside the box," would not understand.

I suggest cognitive flexibility is crucial for us to grow spiritually. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to shift between modes of thinking and adapt to novel or changing environments. It allows you to shift perspectives and embrace change, which helps you move beyond rigid interpretations of spiritual texts. Flexibility helps challenge inflexible belief systems and prevents rigid thinking that can block deeper spiritual experience. People with higher cognitive flexibility show better stress tolerance and distress tolerance, both important for navigating spiritual challenges.

Cognitive flexibility strongly supports psychological health. Research consistently shows it's a core skill for mental well-being and resilience. Flexible thinking helps you reframe negative thoughts and see situations from different perspectives, preventing you from getting stuck in negative thinking cycles. In conclusion, being curious, resisting a rush to judgment, and avoiding good-vs-bad thinking will lead to an openness to growth.

My last point is that Jesus gives us another example of a desire for intimacy with His creation. Speaking as a psychologist, I have come to believe that so many people have a problem with intimacy. I am not sure if it's from their past experience of being hurt, brought up with the notion  that love is conditional or must be earned, or simply that they do not deserve intimacy. I also suspect that people don't understand fully how to respond to their God's call to closeness. It is not as difficult as so many people have come to believe.

I invite my listeners to read the closing line of Psalm 46: "Be still, and know that I am God."

Thank you for joining me.

Next Sunday, June 14, 2026, we will reflect on Matthew 9:36–10:8, where Jesus calls His disciples and describes to them what their mission will be.

New episodes are released every Sunday, focusing on the upcoming Gospel. Special thanks to Heather Patel Doherty and Richard Coulombe for their continued support.