If All The Raindrops Were...Pan de Sal & Monay (Oh What A Rain That Would Be! - Barney)

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:4-8

Elijah went a day's journey into the desert, until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death saying: "This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers." He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree, but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and ordered, "Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!" He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: Eph 4:30-5:2

Brothers and sisters:

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for usas a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

Gospel: Jn 6:41-51

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven?'" Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.

Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

Reflection

By Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento

If you have read last Sunday’s reflection, you’d know that I am a bread girl (and I’m an old soul, loving Bread songs too, tee-hee!). Oh, and today as I write, it is raining here at my end. I suddenly realized what if it rained bread instead? Yes, bread from heaven! Can you imagine how many hungry street kids would be flocking about, collecting what could be their only meal for the day? Imagine the hullaballoo of baguettes falling from the sky only to land on jeepneys and buses in EDSA – an instant baon for a young professional who’s still adamant to spend their 5-peso change. Or the starving lola under the shed picking up a large monay that just fell beside her makeshift pillow. This idea leaves a smile on my face now, I look like this --> (^^,). Ooooh bread.

Growing up, this was how I pictured Yahweh giving manna to Moses and his people. I thought it rained bread! Now, archaeological research discovered that manna may not actually be bread but was fungus instead. You read that right –Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms that grew in abundance in dewy climates. Coupled with manure from the Israelites’ cattle and sheep, the camp became a healthy environment for these mushrooms to grow. The biblical description matches what is now known as magic mushrooms that according to some, give a person “spiritual” visions once ingested.

This is just one of the many theories of what manna truly is. But one thing’s for sure – God provides. He never failed to give us what we specifically need. The hardships, the successes, the material and spiritual blessings, all of these are part of the grand scheme of things. No accidents, but all in accordance with plans, because that’s how the Father loves us. He only asks that we eat the Bread of life. We do this through partaking in the Eucharist, and more so by digesting the Scriptures. This way we transcend beyond our human weaknesses and overcome our sins, so we may also be like Jesus whose fragrance rises to God.

Now ask yourself:

1. Do I always worry about so many things?

2. Do I trust God’s plan for me?

3. Do I belittle some people I meet, the way the Jews looked down on Jesus?

Prayer

Thank you Father for being our ever generous Provider! With You, everything is in abundance! Amen.

*Tip from a bread girl: Put your bread inside an airtight container/bag and place it in the freezer, if you don’t intend to finish it within the day. It makes the shelf life longer. Thaw, microwave, or toast it before eating. Enjoy!