Just wanted to begin with a statement of appreciation. I can really appreciate when I listen to today’s scripture readings and celebrate mass with all of you, those of us who are here at the celebration here at Mercy Home, celebrating mass today, who are participating also. We celebrate with you those who are participating with us in the assembly or the church or the parish or the airwaves. All of you know the importance of what we are about today, the importance of celebrating Jesus, who is the bread of life. He comes to, in fact, feed us. He is with us, to encourage us, to feed us so that we might encourage one another with the same mercy and with the same gift that He gives to us. He encourages us too, in times when we have our own doubts, when we have our own troubles and our own worries, He encourages us and helps us, through the Eucharist, to face our questions and worries not with despair, but rather to be filled with Him, to be filled with hope and strengthened for the journey. That certainly seems to be the theme of our scripture readings today, especially these two readings that we have before us, from the first reading from the Book of Kings and then today’s reading from the Gospel from John.

We hear today in the first reading of Elijah who is on a journey into the desert. And there in the desert he’s ready to give up, but instead of … He’s so filled with despair, God intervenes and God fills him with hope. He sends an angel to touch him, to touch his life and give him the keg with water in to strengthen him, to get up and to go back on that journey, food for the journey. And so Jesus too is telling His friends as He’s gathering with them. He’s explaining to them as they are murmuring and they’re about to give up and lose hope, He explains that he is the living bread come down from heaven. He wants them to have faith in Him, to trust in Him. He’s trying to teach them who He really is. He’s the bread of life. Their ancestors might have eaten bread in the desert, but He has brought life for the world. Bread for eternal life.

May the Lord God help us each day in the Eucharist to feed us. He loves us, He wants us to be encouraged and to have hopefulness, to trust in Him, to trust in His help along the way. Removing anger and bitterness, being kind rather to one another, being compassionate and forgiving so that we can live better lives of faith, humbly welcoming Him each day in our lives, especially here and now in this Eucharist.