The Israelites were particularly good at grumbling; and while they were grateful that God has led them out of slavery in Egypt, now they found themselves in the middle of a desert, with nothing to eat.
So they grumbled. “The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” And they were particularly sarcastic in their grumbling: It would have been better if we had died as slaves in Egypt, they screamed. At least we would have died with full bellies. Better than starving to death in this desert!
But the next morning when they woke up, they found little pieces of bread all over the ground. It was spread like dew upon the sand. And they ate their fill.
This bread from heaven was called manna, and it kept them from starving to death.
Kinda like the bread and fishes that Jesus multiplied for the 5,000 hungry men in last week’s Gospel. After they had eaten their fill, predictably, they came looking for more, reminding Jesus about the manna.
The Lord then tells him the difference between the manna, which filled empty stomachs, and the true bread the Father has sent from heaven, the eucharistic bread, the Holy Communion in which people receive not earthly food, but the very Body and Blood of the Lord himself. For he is the Bread of Life, and whoever comes to him will never hunger, and whoever believes in him will never thirst.
This is the second of five Sundays on which we will be reflecting on the source and the summit of our lives: the Eucharist. For Holy Communion is the source of strength in this life and our foremost hope: that whoever eats his Body and drinks his Blood will never really die, but he will raise us up on the last day to live with him in glory forever.
How blessed are we who are called to this Supper of the Lord!
