Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Osmond Anike

Readings:

First Reading: : Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 – The Lord sends manna from heaven.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 77(78):3-4, 23-25, 54 – The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 – Put aside your old self and put on the new.

Gospel: :John 6:24-35 – It is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven; I am the bread of life.

In spiritual quest, one can never walk more than a day’s journey without getting extremely tired, unless the person is propelled by the food of the angels. The reason why many of us collapse along the way is that we neglect that essential food which alone gives nourishment and strength. Elijah, without the food, could only manage a day’s journey before he collapsed. But, strengthened by the food, he walked for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God; the mountain of revelation.

For three consecutive Sundays now, the liturgy has been systematically preparing to launch us into this all important theology of the Eucharist. First, it started with the miracle of the multiplication of fives loaves and two fish, and the feeding of the five thousand with them. The people were so captivated by this miracle which took care only of their bodily need that they totally forgot the spiritual mission of Jesus. But Jesus, not wanting to be distracted by their distraction, went into hiding. However, the people searched for and found him. He was then forced to put it bluntly to them that they were not searching for him because they saw the signs and wonders but because they had all the bread they wanted. He consequently urged them to labour for the bread that will last and not for earthly bread that doesn’t last. When they demanded to have this mysterious bread that lasts forever, Jesus replied them that he is the bread of life; and that he who comes to him will never be hungry and he who believes in him will never thirst.

Today’s liturgy is a continuation of this Eucharistic discourse. But first, it takes us to the Old Testament prototype of what would eventually be developed in detail in the New Testament. It starts with the feeding of Elijah by the angel. The crux of the matter was the fallout in the aftermath of Elijah’s defeat of the 400 prophets of Baal. Elijah threw a public challenge to King Ahab and his false prophets of Baal. They unwittingly accepted the challenge, but were humiliated in the end and, subsequently, the Baal prophets were executed. The consequence of that public humiliation and execution was a revenge plot against Elijah; and nothing short of his death would appease the King and, especially, his notorious wife Jezebel. Elijah, therefore, had to escape. But he needed strength to outrun his adversaries. Jezebel was ruthless; and there would be no mercy for Elijah if he was caught. Elijah was, understandably, therefore in a hurry to reach the mountain of God. But he apparently entirely forgot that in order to reach that mountain, one needed to be fed with God’s food, the food of the angel. In his bid to save his body, he forgot that his soul needed nourishment too. But he soon discovered that when the soul is starved, the body cannot be strong and healthy. Thanks to the angel who brought him that spiritual food, he was able to regain strength with which he climbed the mountain of God.

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ still gives the bread, but in a manner different from the way it was given in the Old Testament. He gives the bread in the form of his body and blood – the sacrament of love. In the OT, God gave the people manna. Because manna was uncommon and unfamiliar to them (cf., the etymology of ‘manna’), they valued it much and kept referring to it over and over again. They challenged Jesus to give them a sign like Moses did when he gave them manna in the desert. But Jesus quickly corrected this notion by telling them that it was not Moses but God who gave them manna. He then told them that he is the bread of life come down from heaven. He reminded them that their fathers ate the manna in the desert and have all died; whereas any person who eats the bread that he gives will not die but will live forever. This was, however, hard for them to accept. They complained that Jesus was common and ordinary to them; that they knew him and his family inside out. They’d rather have the uncommon desert manna which they valued, than the common Jesus whom they know. Hence, they rejected the bread of life and consequently lost the strength to climb the mountain of God.

Brethren, Christ has offered us himself as the bread of life. Just as the body cannot survive without material food, so also can the soul never stay alive without spiritual food. Sometimes we do not remember to nourish our souls with this spiritual food. At other times, we just receive it as a mere routine without actually believing in what we receive. In both cases, we are wittingly or unwittingly starving our souls. If we actually believe that the Eucharist is the bread of life, the implication is that in order to be truly alive, we have to worthily receive it regularly. A pattern that leads people into collapsing along the way in their spiritual journey without ever reaching the mountain of God always starts by abstaining from the Eucharist. Once this is effectively entrenched, it is like one weakening one’s immune system. There is no more protection; hence, the person is prone to disease infections. This is exactly how the devil “infects” people – by facilitating the removal of that spiritual immunity. Once removed, the person can no longer withstand the temptations of the devil and consequently falls by the wayside. Conversely, if you examine the lives of those who have persevered in faith, oftentimes the secret of their perseverance lies in their constant nourishment with that food of the angels – the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is not only the source of our strength but more importantly the source of our lives itself. Jesus invites us all to take and eat. It is indispensable on our spiritual journey if we must successfully climb the mountain of God.