Prayer-Soldier Newbie
Joined: Apr 18, 2009 Posts: 1001
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 7:25 am Post subject: The Bread From Heaven |
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The Bread From Heaven
Scripture:
And all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them: Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat over the flesh pots, and ate bread to the full. Why have you brought us into this desert, that you might destroy all the multitude with famine? And the Lord said to Moses: Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you: let the people go forth, and gather what is sufficient for every day: that I may prove them whether they will walk in my law, or not.
I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel: say to them: In the evening you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread: and you shall know that I am the Lord your God. So it came to pass in the evening, that quails coming up, covered the camp: and in the morning, a dew lay round about the camp. And when it had covered the face of the earth, it appeared in the wilderness small, and as it were beaten with a pestle, like unto the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: Manhu! which signifies: What is this! for they knew not what it was. And Moses said to them: This is the bread, which the Lord has given you to eat. (Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15)
This then I say and testify in the Lord: That henceforward you walk not as also the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind.
But you have not so learned Christ; if so be that you have heard him, and have been taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus: To put off, according to former conversation, the old man, who is corrupted according to the desire of error. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth. (Ephesians 4:17, 20-24)
When therefore the multitude saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they took shipping, and came to Capharnaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him: Rabbi, when came you hither?
Jesus answered them, and said: Amen, amen I say to you, you seek me, not because you have seen miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that which endures unto life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you. For him has God, the Father, sealed. They said therefore unto him: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered, and said to them: This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. They said therefore to him: What sign therefore do you show, that we may see, and may believe you? What do you work?
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you; Moses gave you not bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world. They said therefore unto him: Lord, give us always this bread. And Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall not hunger: and he that believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:24-35)
Reflection:
We often wonder why God allows bad things to happen to us. Though He has repeatedly sought to guide the children of His creation away from that which yields harm, we often do not listen until we suffer the consequences. Like children who ignore their parents when told not to touch a hot stove, we are compelled to learn the lessons for ourselves.
Though we may choose to wander in ignorance, He seeks to educate us in the ways of His blessings. His desire is not that we should suffer from our learning, rather, that through our learning, we discover Him and the blessings He offers. Through our choices, we discover what it means to walk away from Him and what it means to walk with Him. This is what His people Israel discovered within the desert.
Through great miracles, He delivered them from slavery. We might wonder, why was this not enough from which to see His great power, but as they faced trials brought about by their freedom, His people grumbled. Their concern was grave, for there was not an abundance of food in the land they wandered and they could not provide for themselves. As His people Israel grumbled in their hunger, He sent them bread from heaven. He helped them to survive, but while He has compassion for our trials within this world, His desire is to prepare us for the promise of His kingdom. In this existence, we must find food for the body, but to prepare us for His kingdom, He sent us the food and drink through which the soul shall receive eternal life.
If we open our hearts to Him, we have the opportunity to become renewed, to set aside the ways of the world, which brings so much pain, so that we may live by the ways of His Word, which yields eternal blessings. The choice as to the path we travel, He has left to us. If we turn to Him, He will walk with us, He will guide us through our challenges, He will lead us from the darkness so that we may become reborn in the light.
We often do not see clearly, for our desires are of the world. We blind ourselves in the pursuit of worldly things. We cannot ignore our needs within the world, for if we do, our bodies shall perish. Still, what we often fail to consider is what we must receive for the sustenance of our soul.
We know we cannot continue the journey if we do not eat or drink. Our concerns, though, do not stop with our daily sustenance. Once we are fed, we seek satisfaction of other desires, but we do not always comprehend the consequences of what we choose.
We do not know what the next day or even the next moment shall hold; therefore, it is short sighted to only concern ourselves with the world and ignore the soul. Through Him, we may receive wisdom. Through Him, we may receive the blessings of love. Through Him, we may share the blessings of hope and charity. Through Him, we may receive forgiveness. Through Him, we may receive the food and drink of the soul; the sustenance of eternal life.
May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier
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