João 6
Romanos the Melodist
João 6:7-9
"Master, we can find only five barley loaves; No one of us brought anything into the desert, But a child is here who has them. O Lover of man, no other resource is possible for us. For an enormous and boundless number of people, O Man of pity, How can these five loaves be sufficient? In addition, he has two fishes. But hurry and nourish them, since Thou art The heavenly bread of immortality." When Christ heard these words of His disciples, He answered them in this way: "You are mistaken if you do not know That I am the Creator of the universe; I provide for the world; I now know clearly what these people need. I see the desert and that the sun is setting; Indeed I arranged the setting of the sun; I understand the distress of the crowd which is here; I know what I have in mind to do for them. I myself shall cure their hunger, for I am The heavenly bread of immortality.… "Even though you consider carefully, can you as mere men secure nourishment, Or can you, though you are worried, feed the people? Or, Life' you cannot feed them, have you the power to keep silent? I, alone, as Creator take thought for all. I exist as good, God before the centuries. And I provide every kind of food for all people; But you, on beholding the multitude, are worried, And you do not consider the One who provides abundantly, As I am set before all, offering The heavenly bread of immortality. "I know in advance what you are thinking and what you are saying to each other, As you see the people, the means of provision, and the hour. You are reasoning, 'Who will feed the entire crowd in the desert?' Well, know clearly, friends, who I am. I fed Israel in the desert; I gave them bread from Heaven; In a region without water, I made water to flow from a rock; … Since I am The heavenly bread of immortality. — KONTAKION ON THE MULTIPLICATION OF LOAVES 13.12-17
João 6:11
Christ had brought to Him the five loaves of bread, And straightway, lifting His eyes to the Father, He said: "I am doing Thy deeds; for I am Thy Son; For in the beginning, I created the whole world Together with Thee and the Holy Spirit; for I am The heavenly bread of immortality." Behold how the masters, the servants of Christ, were arranged and attended The Servant, Jesus; and they found Him at once. For the Lord blessed the five loaves of bread, Speaking to them as follows in spiritual fashion: "Grow and multiply perceptibly, And nourish now all who are assembled here." And immediately the loaves obeyed the Lord; They multiplied invisibly As Christ spoke to them, for He is The heavenly bread of immortality. — KONTAKION ON THE MULTIPLICATION OF LOAVES 13.19-20
João 6:58-59
All the angels on high marvel at the affairs of earth For earth-born men dwelling here below Are exalted in spirit and reach what is on high As they share in Christ, crucified. For all together partake of His body, As they eagerly come to the bread of life, They hope for eternal salvation from it. Even though visibly, to all appearances, it is bread It sanctifies them spiritually because it is The heavenly bread of immortality. That the bread which we take is the flesh of the Immanuel, The Master Himself was the first to teach us; For when He voluntarily went to His Passion, Christ broke the bread of salvation, And said to His apostles, as it is written: "Now draw near; eat of this, And eating, you will receive eternal life, For this is my flesh, this food, Since really, I whom you behold, am The heavenly bread of immortality. We all know, we who possess complete faith in Christ, That as we approach, eager for the mystic bread And in addition take the cup of salvation, If we are of pure heart and without dissimulation We are all participants of the flesh and blood Of Christ with faith in Him, and we hope From this a life like that of the angels; For, in very truth, the body of the One who suffered, The very holy body of Jesus Christ is The heavenly bread of immortality. — KONTAKION ON THE MULTIPLICATION OF LOAVES 13.1-3