Have you ever sought a "wilderness" to hide yourself because you were afraid? Have you ever been in such an anxiety that you wish you were dead? Elijah, the prophet, had experienced all that and had run far away. So exhausted was he that when he lay down under a tree, he fell asleep! And then he was woken up by an angel to eat and drink. He fell asleep again, and again an angel woke him up to eat and drink. What did he eat - that strengthened him so, that he walked for forty days and forty nights until he reached the mountain of God? It must have been some heavenly food!

Today, Jesus tells us that He is "the bread that came down from heaven" (v 41); that He is "the bread of life" (v 48).

At every Eucharist, Jesus offers us this heavenly food to strengthen and sustain us for life's journeys - with its ups and downs, twists and turns, trials and tribulations, joys and sorrows. Let us then avail ourselves constantly of the Body and Blood of Christ that we may continue our pilgrimage towards heaven, being continually fed and nurtured by Jesus, "the living bread which has come down from heaven." (v 51)