Bread...Broken and Shared

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 8:1B-8 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~ 

~~~ John 6:35-40 ~~~ 

I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger...

Did you ever wonder why 

Jesus chose bread to become his body?

He could have any available food, but

 he chose bread and wine.

Bread was shared at meals. 

Bread was broken apart...torn apart.

Bread nourishes our body.

Bread is a complement to every meal.

Jesus nourishes our body.

He is the Bread of Life because without 

him we would perish.

Every culture has some form of bread.

Every occasion we have to consume bread 

can be a reminder of the One who also

 nourishes our spiritual life.

How could God have known that bread

 would be around for thousands of years?

Many people can not imagine a meal without bread.

Bread is the foundation upon which a whole meal can be built.

Imagine the best sandwich you have ever eaten.

Jesus, the Bread of Life, is so much better.

I will not reject anyone who comes to me,

because I came down from heaven not to do my own will

but the will of the one who sent me.

In the Old Testament bread was a symbol of hospitality.

It was often shared with strangers.

If you broke bread with someone it was assumed

 that you had a relationship with him.

So to betray one with whom you

 had broken bread was a serious insult.

Jesus broke bread many times with the apostles before

 speaking the words of his being the bread of life.

Jesus gives us himself as the Bread of Life

we will not be rejected.

No one who comes to the table of the Lord 

will be refused or turned away.

God invites each one of us to come to him.

When we come to him he will feed our soul

 with the Body and Blood of his only

 begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus left us visible signs to remind us of his presence.

Things we can see make a greater impression

 on our memory than written or spoken words.

Our brain likes to be able to picture things 

we want to remember.

Jesus gave us himself in bread...

something every culture can visualize.

Jesus is not a loaf of bread,

but he uses bread to give us himself.

Moses and those in the desert 

were given manna from heaven.

We have been given Jesus himself...

he is the bread of life.

During the consecration of the Mass

Jesus is Present...

he invites us to receive

 his body and blood.

Blessed to receive the Bread of Life

as we journey to our eternal destination of heaven.

~~~Peace~~~