forever-food
"He must not be allowed to put out his hand...and thus eat of it and live forever." —Genesis 3:22
God provided wonderful food for Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Gn 1:29-30; 2:16-17). However, Adam and Eve wanted control of the menu. So they ate the food God had forbidden them to eat (Gn 3:11). Because of their rebellion, God would not allow humanity to eat of the food of the tree of life, which would cause them to live forever (Gn 3:22).
However, God so loved the world that He sent His only Son (Jn 3:16). At Calvary, Jesus was nailed to the tree of life. He left us a new food: His own Body and Blood, the Eucharist. In Jesus, God offers us a new chance to eat from the tree of life that grows in His garden (Rv 2:7). Now we are once again allowed to eat of food that will enable us to live forever (Jn 6:51, 54).
Through Jesus, eating has been transformed. The Mass is now the new Eden, the new Passover, the new paradise. In the Mass, our "deserted" lives (Mk 8:4) are nourished as Jesus feeds us with food that fills and satisfies us perfectly (see Wis 16:20; Ps 145:16).
Adam and Eve ate to please themselves. In the Eucharist, we eat to please Jesus. The Lord asks us: "When you were eating and drinking, was it not for yourselves that you ate, and for yourselves that you drank?" (Zec 7:6) Are you eating forever-food (Jn 6:58) or perishable food (Jn 6:27)? Repent of any rebellion against God's menu planning. Accept Jesus as the Lord of your eating.
Prayer: Father, I renounce the food "of corruption and wickedness" and devote my life to eating the Eucharist, the "Bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor 5:8).
Promise: "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd." —Mk 8:2
Praise: At Lourdes, France, many thousands of wheelchairs, canes, and braces have been left behind at the basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes because their owners have been healed and no longer need them.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 12, 2016
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.