"He gave them bread from heaven to eat." When the Jews quoted this sentence from Scripture to challenge Jesus, he took the opportunity to instruct them, thus teaching us profoundly about the mystery of the Eucharist, which is in many ways, the heart of our faith.

Jesus goes through the quotation methodically and gives each part of it a new and wonderful interpretation. While the phrase points to an event in the past, as shown by the past tense verb "gave", Jesus suggests that a true understanding reveals this miracle in the present time: not "gave" but "gives". Thus the true meaning is not something which Moses did in the past for the people at that time. Rather we must come to understand that, now in our time, God in Jesus gives us continually, not "manna in the desert" but the true bread from heaven which is Jesus himself. Through the sacramental ministry which Jesus gave his Church, God gives us our true daily bread, Jesus himself, who is the bread of life and the cup of our salvation.