heavenly food
“Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. This is the Bread that comes down from heaven for a man to eat and never die.” —John 6:49-50
When it comes to food, God provides and man derides. God gave Adam and Eve all kinds of good food in the garden of Eden (Gn 2:16). Sadly, their craving to eat beyond what God provided led to mankind’s downfall (Gn 3:6ff).
God then provided miraculous manna to the Israelites when they were stranded in the desert (Ex 16:14ff). He “furnished them bread from heaven, ready to hand, untoiled-for, endowed with all delights and conforming to every taste” (Wis 16:20). The manna even “was blended to whatever flavor each one wished”! (Wis 16:21) All this revealed God’s sweetness toward His children (Wis 16:21). However, the Israelites in the desert soon wearied of this miraculous, tasty fare. They were “disgusted with this wretched food” (Nm 21:5) that God provided. They wanted meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic (Nm 11:4-5).
Then, God once again provided His children with miraculous Bread from heaven. The infant Jesus came down from heaven and was placed in a manger, a feeding trough. This reveals that Jesus is Food. His “flesh is real food” (Jn 6:55). To make it unmistakable, Jesus proclaims: “I am the Bread of Life...I Myself am the Living Bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever; the bread I will give is My flesh, for the life of the world” (Jn 6:48, 51). Jesus in the Eucharist is God’s ultimate banquet. Will we reject this heavenly food? Or, will we gratefully eat what God provides?
Prayer: Father, may what enters and leaves my mouth be totally under Your lordship.
Promise: “Philip launched out with this Scripture passage as his starting point, telling him the good news of Jesus.” —Acts 8:35
Praise: Jesus set Sam free from an addiction to pornography. Now Sam is active in the fight to defend life
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from April 1, 2024, through May 31, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 22, 2023"
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