"I am the living bread that comes from Heaven, anyone who eats the bread will live forever."

This promise of Christ is truth and knowing this truth gives us a deep sense of consolation and joy. This means that we cannot do without the Eucharist and in the Eucharistic Jesus (Bread of Life) we have our union with God. In Jn. 6:51, we are clear that what is implied by the images of not hungering and thirsting is but eternal life. How convinced are we of this?

If this is true, then we need to work for food that endures to eternal life. If not, we will be like Elijah as in the first reading, who fled into the desert to save his life, yet his flight soon became a journey out of the world, symbolized by leaving behind companionship and food and entering a pilgrimage to a sacred place.

How do we express such faith in our daily life today? Paul's letter to the Ephesians (second reading) spelt out clearly what this entails - to imitate God, follow Christ in loving as He loves us even unto death on a cross.