R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,
“I am the bread that came down from heaven, ”
and they said,
“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?
Do we not know his father and mother?
Then how can he say,
‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Stop murmuring among yourselves.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

In today’s first reading, Elijah experiences the goodness of the LORD. He had gone into the desert not for prayer, but to die. The office of a prophet became too heavy for him to bear. He had enough of this world. The people were not heeding his warnings. Israel was full of sin and idolatrous practices. He became dejected in his mission but the LORD was not accepting his resignation for his task had not yet been completed.

With nothing to eat nor drink, Elijah wanders far into the desert and prays for death. But an angel of the LORD, a messenger from God, comes to him twice offering him food and drink. With the strength of this mysterious food and water, Elijah walks forty days and forty nights to reach the mountain of God, Horeb, to receive a revelation of his own; a true miracle that Elijah recognizes as a direct intervention from God and an affirmation that his mission as prophet was to continue. The LORD sustained him in his darkest hour.

In today’s Sacred Gospel account, John the Evangelist continues Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse.  Two Sunday’s ago we heard of the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. And last Sunday, the crowd followed Him in search for more free food. Jesus knows the hearts of men and he knows their earthly needs. He is quick to tell them, “Do not work for food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

Whether we contemplate the Israelites grumbling against Moses, Elijah despairing, or the Jews complaining about Jesus’ assertion that He is, “the bread that came down from heaven”,  humanity continues to wander in the desert of sin and death. It seems that only a handful of people recognize the true gift contained in the Eucharist; heavenly bread that is Christ’s Body and Blood. A true reality that our senses fail to see or taste.

The power of the Eucharist, the True Presence of Jesus’ Body and Blood, gives life to the world.

In addition to today being the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, it is the feast day of St. Clare of Assisi. She was a contemporary of St. Francis and, as a result of having heard him preach and having entered into various conversations with him, felt compelled to become a nun. St. Clare loved the Eucharist from which she found her strength.

An eye witness account given by Thomas of Celano, attests to the miraculous intervention of Jesus present in the Most Holy Eucharist that saved St. Clare and all of Assisi.

In 1244, Emperor Frederick II, then at war with the Pope, was ravaging the valley of Spoleto, which was part of the patrimony of the Holy See. He employed many Saracens in his army, and a troop of these infidels came to plunder Assisi. St. Damien’s church, standing outside the city walls, was one of the first places they attacked. While the marauders were scaling the convent walls, Clare, ill as she was, had herself carried out to the gate and there had the Blessed Sacrament set up in sight of the enemy. Prostrating herself before the monstrance, she prayed aloud: “Does it please Thee, O God, to deliver into the hands of these beasts the defenseless children whom I have nourished with Thy love? I beseech Thee, good Lord, protect these whom now I am not able to protect.” Whereupon she heard a voice like the voice of a little child saying, “I will have them always in My care.” She prayed again, for the city, and again the voice came, reassuring her. She then turned to the trembling nuns and said, “Have no fear, little daughters; trust in Jesus.” At this, a sudden terror seized their assailants who fled in haste. Not one ounce of harm came to her sisters.

When we contemplate this miracle, the feeding of the 5,000 and the LORD providing for Elijah, Sacred Scripture and eyewitness accounts attest that the Eucharist is truly Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity; the Living Bread from Heaven that provides eternal life.

In a few moments we shall be invited to partake in the Most Holy Eucharist. We need to acknowledge this is not simply a host made of bread and water but, at the words of consecration become the True Bread from Heaven; Jesus’ “flesh for the life of the world.”

As we partake of the Eucharist and go forward from this Mass we would do well to ask ourselves a few questions:

What can we learn from Elijah’s encounter and St. Clare’s example of turning to the Lord in complete trust?

How have we witnessed the power of the Eucharist in our own life?

What can we do to grow in our understanding of and reverence for the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist?

For Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. I am the living bread. Take and eat, and live in me” (see Jn 6:48-50, Jn 20:27).

Deacon Mark Izzo, Permanent Deacon, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica – Saint Anthony Parish

Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
“This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
Let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
And delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy.
And your faces may not blush with shame.
When the afflicted man called out, the LORD heard,
And from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters:
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.
All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling
must be removed from you, along with all malice.
And be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.