Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

A few years ago, I took part in a fast organised by Tearfund.  Over a period of one week, I lived off only a small amount of rice and oats in line with the same amount that a person from an economically poor family in Chad would have.  Each night I remember being drained of energy, and listless.  I struggled to get anything significant done during the day and it raised my awareness of the difficulties facing economically poor families in all countries where there are food shortages.  It struck me how difficult it is in these countries to find the energy to improve the situation of poverty. In the Bible reading assigned to this week, Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven”.  Jesus goes onto say that, to have life we need to feed on this bread.  The language of eating flesh and drinking blood seems offensive in our society.  It is good to remember two things.  Firstly, Jesus was speaking figuratively and, secondly, this sort of language was very common in the first century.  However, what does this mean for us today?  Bread, which was a staple diet, was necessary for life and gave energy, purpose and health to those who had it.  If we are continually fed, we can devote our time to other things.  We can start to be creative and we can start to help not only ourselves, but also others who are hungry in other parts of the world, including Chad.  In short, we can start to be the people that God calls us to be by fully living.  Jesus says, “Just as the living Father sent me, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.”  Let us therefore continue to feed on Jesus in the week ahead.