Food for the Journey

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19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jn. 6: 41-51 | August 12, 2018

 

Reflection: When hunger and fatigue comes to us, whether physically or spiritually, our immediate reaction is to give up. This is what the Prophet Elijah expressed in our 1st Reading. But God does not give up on us. He gives what is necessary for us to be able to fulfill our mission. So, God sent an angel to give food to the Prophet Elijah.

The same thing happens to us, God provides us with the best nourishment, the Eucharist. Jesus is our true source of strength in this journey of our lives. Jesus points out that He came to the world not to condemn but to save us. He offers His Body as our food onto Eternal life. He is the Life that we are seeking, He is the bread that came down from heaven and whoever partakes of it will live forever.

Faith is needed so that we will be able to acknowledge who Jesus is. Only those called to that intimate relationship with Jesus will be able to perceive the Person of Jesus. The Father draws us to Jesus. He calls us to encounter Jesus, and this encounter brings about faith in us.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the privileged moment of encounter with the Lord, in Word and the Sacred Species. Do we have time to encounter Jesus in the Mass? Do we allow Him to encounter us? Do we recognize Him as our “Food for the Journey” in this life?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fray Robin Ross Plata, OAR

Fray Robin Ross Plata, OAR

Priest/Religious of the Order of Augustinian Recollects in the Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno.