1 Kgs 19:4-8
And went a day's journey into the wilderness, until he came to a solitary broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death: "Enough, LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." He lay down and fell asleep under the solitary broom tree, but suddenly a messenger touched him and said, "Get up and eat!" He 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 said, "Get up and eat or the journey will be too much 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.
Second Reading
Eph 4:30-5:2
And 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.
Gospel Reading
The Jews murmured about him 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 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. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes 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."
The Word in other words
"Di ko na kaya" or "Ayoko na." These words express the emotional and spiritual condition of many people today, revealing their exhaustion and burnt out by stress, disappointment and opposition, within the family, at work and even in the parish. We are tempted "to throw the towel", "Suko na ako!" Can we get out of this? Can we recover the meaning of life, our peace of mind ,our determination to act?
Elijah (in our first reading) is a typical case of "burn-out". As a prophet he presented God and the demands of social justice to the people. But he was rejected and even persecuted. Tired of preaching and tired of life, he no longer saw any meaning in serving God. "This is enough," he said, "Lord, take my life." His faith and fidelity were in deep crisis. Was Elijah able to recover? How?
Twice an angel woke him up from his sleep of despair and invited him to eat and drink. The food came from God! God gave Elijah new courage. When the angel told him, "There is a long road ahead of you," the intent was to infuse meaning into his life, as if to say "May bukas pa sa iyong buhay," Elijah thus regained his faith and trust in the Lord.
The Gospel tells us that the food from God, which gives us new life, is Jesus himself. "The person who believes in me has everlasting life. Whoever eats of this bread, shall live." As I adhere to Jesus in humble faith, I once again acquire the will to live. I get a boost in life and gain the patience necessary for faithfully doing my task.
In the midst of doubt, stress and tiredness, it seems hard to regain faith and fidelity. But today's Gospel assures us that God the Father himself is instructing us and drawing us closer to Jesus. In our anguish we might say, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief!" Thus, we overcome life's stresses. We recover our personal adherence to Christ. We regain the courage and patience we need in order generously to serve others. Jesus is the living bread for my life, but also "for the life of the world!"
Mother Teresa, who provides us with a program for recovery, says: "The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace." From silence to faith to service. No basketball game is won without "time-out". No burn-out is healed without moments of silence leading to prayer and faith. And if we pick up the love that leads to service, we arrive at peace: Peace of heart and mind, and the determination to act for peace in the family, church, and nation.
