Sunday Gospel Reflection, August 9, 2015: Strengthened by that food...

Strengthened by that food…

Where do you look for strength?

In this week's reading from 1 Kings, Elijah is ready to give up and die.  After he slaughters all the prophets of Baal, Elijah flees for his life because Jezebel wants his head… literally!  Alone in the desert, Elijah exclaims, Enough, Lord. Take my life… But God has drawn Elijah into the desert not for death but for life, and so he provides Elijah not only with bread -- a hearth cake -- but with a jug of water, a true miracle in the drought conditions Elijah is experiencing.  As Psalm 34 states, When the afflicted man called out, the Lord heard.  God is Elijah's strength in adversity; the prophet will continue to challenge Jezebel and her ineffectual husband Ahab because he knows God is with him every step of the way.

Now, the bread Elijah receives from heaven, while symbolically significant, is just that:  tangible bread, sustenance for his continued journey.  In John's Gospel, Jesus tells those murmuring about him not once, but twice, I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  I am your strength:  whoever eats this bread will live forever.  And, as Paul tells the Ephesians, Jesus is the sacrificial offering to God that guarantees our redemption, a true sacrifice we experience every time we experience Eucharist.  It is that sacrifice that is our strength:  the bread from heaven.

So if you're looking for strength, perhaps you need go no further than the Eucharistic table, where Jesus, the food that strengthens, is ready and waiting to be your strength as well.

This post was based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
Image source:  Wordle