Dear friends in Christ

As we continue reading at Mass the sixth chapter of St John’s Gospel, it is linked this weekend with that of the journey of Elijah in the first reading. Elijah is given bread by God so that he may continue his journey to Horeb, the mountain of God. The true Bread from Heaven is that which is given by God for our journey to the next life. The types and images of this food for our soul, is often seen in images in the Old Testament. It is Jesus Christ who would give us the Bread that is His Body in the Eucharist. This Bread, containing all of the spiritual nourishment that we need, satisfies all our body and spiritual hunger. It is the Bread that a person eats so that they may not die. One of the expressions for the Blessed Eucharist is pricelessly this: Viaticum, food for the journey; it is food for journey through this life and is given to us as our final food before death so that we may make the transition from earth to Heaven. St John Vianney, whose feast we celebrated last Tuesday says:

Holy Communion is for the pledge of eternal life, so that it guarantees Heaven to us. It is the pledge sent to tell us that it will one day be our dwelling place…Jesus Christ will raise up our bodies as much more glorious as we shall have more often and more worthily received Him. There is nothing we do which adorns the body more for Heaven than Holy Communion. At the day of judgement, the Body of Our Lord will shine through our glorified body. His adorable Blood through our blood, as we see gold shine in copper and silver in lead.

God bless you!

Msgr Kevin Hale