Holy Eucharist: Food For Our Souls

 Reflection on Today's Readings, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B,  August 8th, 2021
Texts: 1 Kg. 19:4-8; Ps. 34:2-9; Eph. 4:30-5:2; John 6:41-51
Food is essential to life. With food, life is nourished and enhanced. In a sense, the functioning and continuation of life are dependent on food. As we need food to keep the body alive and functioning so also we need food to keep the soul alive and functioning. As body gets weak so also the soul gets weak. As the body has its own kind of food so also the soul has its own kind of food. One thing that is so evident in life is that we naturally respond to taking care of our body but needs grace to pay attention to the soul. Hence, In today's gospel reading, Jesus says, _"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him"_  This is because the soul is the life of God in us. Its existence is as controversial as the existence of God.
Another thing that is evident is that the food for the body is gotten from nature, provided by God indirectly, but the food for the soul is provided by God directly. In today's gospel reading, Jesus tells us that the food for the soul is from God in heaven. In His words: "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.” As God gave manna in the wilderness to satisfy the hunger of the body so also He gives food to satisfy the hunger of the soul. This is also evident in today's first reading as God fed Elijah. It is said, _"and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, 'Arise and eat.' ... And he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the LORD came again a second time, and touched him, and said, 'Arise and eat, else the journey will be too great for you.' And he arose, and ate and drank"_ . We need to turn to God for the food of our souls as we turn to nature for the food of our bodies.
Another thing that we must know is that God Himself is the food for our souls. Jesus says, _"I am the bread of life. ... I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever.”_ God fills our beings when we are filled with His thought. We fill our beings with God by meditating on Him. Hence,  St. Paul says, _"Let your thoughts be on things above, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God"_ (Col. 3:2-3). By making God our thoughts we strengthen His life in us.
The Holy Eucharist is the food of the soul. Jesus tells us, today, that the food for our souls is His flesh. He says, _"and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”_  The first reading tells us that God gives us the food for the soul under the appearance of baked cake; for it is said, _"and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, 'Arise and eat.' And he looked and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water."_ This affirms the truth of the Holy Eucharist in which Jesus Christ gives His body and blood under the appearances of bread and wine. By the Holy Eucharist, God continues to feed our souls under the appearances of bread and wine.  
St. Paul, in today's second reading, tells us the kind of life those who are fed with the body and blood of Christ should life. As the food eaten by Elijah enabled him to walk to the mountain of the Lord, so also the Holy Eucharist enables us to live the life of God, following the example of christ. The fruit of the Holy Eucharist is the life of holiness and righteousness. It is a waste of God's grace to partake in the Holy Eucharist and yet bear no fruits of holiness and righteousness.
The Holy Eucharist bears fruits in us when we stay away from whatever grieves the Spirit of Christ which dwells in us and also put out the vices in us. In the words of St. Paul: _"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, with all malice"_ . We are to give up bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, slander and malice. We are to walk in love after the example of Christ and grow in God's image. In the words of St.  Paul: _"and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."_  

We thank You, our Lord and God, for the gift of Holy Eucharist as food for our souls; grant that we live life of love which the Holy Eucharist represents. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke