Hungry? Eat the Bread from Heaven

Many of us may remember the days when Snickers would air a commercial for someone who was not productive. The person is whining and complaining or out of sync. When offered a Snicker bar and eaten it, it turns into the person who was the subject of the commercial.

A personal favorite is when William Dafoe turns into Marilyn Monroe. Another is when the late Robin Williams would eat it and turn into the football coach who is coaching a high school game.

Many of us can be like those who need the snicker bar. In a spiritual sense, we need something that can satisfy us.

Just last week, we were given the first of many passages from John on the Bread of Life discourse. It began with the five loaves and two fish. Jesus miraculously fed them all.

The gospel for the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time shares the second part of the Bread of Life discourse with us. This time, the theme of faith is interwoven into the passage. Christ said, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” John 6:27. Christ wants us to strive to receive him. Yes, we do need certain nutrients to help us in our health goals in life. Yet, what about spiritual satisfaction?

Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, a Catholic version of fire and brimstone because of the way he would deliver his oration, hits it between the eyes. When it comes to those who fell away from the Catholic Church because of the lack of being filled while taking part in a Protestant sect. He would say, “That's because you were looking for junk food! And you won't find that in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!”

The Eucharist can be summarized by Jesus in this way, "I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."

The Eucharist is the food that will sustain us on our journey. Even Flannery O’Connor would understand this. She once said, the Eucharist “is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable.”

Let the Eucharist be the center of our existence.