Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not. On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in, let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

As Christians, we frequently pray for our daily bread through the Our Father. In this prayer we express our need for God’s Presence in our lives each and every day. We cannot sustain ourselves on worldly things. Only the Body and Blood of Christ given to us through the sacrament of the Eucharist can truly nourish us. Sometimes we can become so busy worrying about tomorrow we forget to provide for our daily spiritual needs. We might make time for breakfast, lunch, and diner... and maybe a few snack times, but what about partaking in the Presence of God? Shouldn’t we spend as much, if not more, time feeding our spirits through prayer, meditation, contemplation, good works, acts of mercy, and all the other things that nurture holy souls? It is so much easier to feed our bodies, and yet we do ourselves and others a disservice by forgetting to provide for our spiritual well-being. We all need a steady diet of our Daily Bread, our Jesus, through whatever forms we can get him whether through the sacrament of the Eucharist, or prayer, or imitation of him through our acts of faith, hope, and love.

Do we set aside time each day for our daily bread, even if only through spiritual communion? In what ways do we feed our spirits? How can we become a more Eucharistic people?

O Lord, rain down your presence upon us, especially through the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Amen.