Theme: It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat…
In the book of Exodus 16:2-4.12-15 the Lord gives bread to the hungry children of Israel. The bread that comes from heaven. This bread was to satisfy their temporal hunger. However, the bread which Jesus gives is his body which makes us live forever.
In the gospel, Jesus said to the people, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
What is that food that the Son of Man will give to us? Of course, it is His very Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. It is the Most Holy Eucharist.
After reading the admonition of Jesus to the people who were seeking for him because of bread, I remembered the story of a certain abandoned sick old man who was being taken care of by his parish priest. The priest usually prepares food and sends it to his house where he is alone. One day the priest brought food for him as usual but the old man said to him that what he needed was not that kind of food but he needed spiritual food, that’s the Eucharist, because the journey he was about to embark upon was very far. The priest went home and brought the Eucharist and gave it to him. The man thanked the priest and after some minutes he joined his ancestors.
This is a wonderful lesson about Jesus’ advice. Look for the food that endures forever.
Often people think more of the physical food and drinks because they do not understand the importance of the spiritual food.
Often we see some Catholics who for years have not been receiving the Eucharist. How can such persons live without sin? Where will they have energy to confront the devil and evils? The Eucharist gives us the spiritual energy to climb the ladder of holiness.
I pray that we may understand the importance of the spiritual food that lasts forever. I pray that as we receive Jesus in the Eucharist we may be energised to do the will of God and live a noble Eucharistic life.
May Almighty God bless us and protect us from all evil through Christ our Lord Amen.
Have a great and blessed Sunday.
Rev. Fr. Ambrose Onyeka Anene SDB, is the Parish Priest of Church of Archangels, Gaduwa, Abuja.
