Wisdom 16:20-26; 19:6-12, 22(Fifth Tuesday of Lent)
You gave your people food of angels, and without their toil you supplied them from heaven with bread ready to eat, providing every pleasure and suited to every taste. For your sustenance manifested your sweetness towards your children; and the bread, ministering to the desire of the one who took it, was changed to suit everyone’s liking.Snow and ice withstood fire without melting, so that they might know that the crops of their enemies were being destroyed by the fire that blazed in the hail and flashed in the showers of rain; whereas the fire, in order that the righteous might be fed, even forgot its native power.
For creation, serving you who made it, exerts itself to punish the unrighteous, and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in you. Therefore at that time also, changed into all forms, it served your all-nourishing bounty, according to the desire of those who had need, so that your children, whom you loved, O Lord, might learn that it is not the production of crops that feeds humankind but that your word sustains those who trust in you.
For the whole creation in its nature was fashioned anew, complying with your commands, so that your children might be kept unharmed. The cloud was seen overshadowing the camp, and dry land emerging where water had stood before, an unhindered way out of the Red Sea, and a grassy plain out of the raging waves, where those protected by your hand passed through as one nation, after gazing on marvellous wonders. For they ranged like horses, and leapt like lambs, praising you, O Lord, who delivered them. For they still recalled the events of their sojourn, how instead of producing animals the earth brought forth gnats, and instead of fish the river spewed out vast numbers of frogs. Afterwards they saw also a new kind of birds, when desire led them to ask for luxurious food; for, to give them relief, quails came up from the sea. For in everything, O Lord, you have exalted and glorified your people, and you have not neglected to help them at all times and in all places.
Commentary
This is the bread which comes down from heaven. Manna signified this bread; the altar of God signified this bread. Those were mysteries; in signs they are different, in the thing which is signified they are alike. Hear the Apostle: He says, For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses, into the cloud and in the sea. And all ate the same spiritual food. The same spiritual food, of course; for corporeally it was another thing, because they ate manna, we something else, but they ate the spiritual food which we eat. But our fathers, not those men’s fathers, those to whom we are like, not those to whom they were like.
I am the living bread, who have come down from heaven. Living for the reason that I have come down from heaven. The manna also came down from heaven; but the manna was shadow, he is truth. If anyone eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. When would flesh comprehend flesh – that which he said was bread? It is called flesh, that which flesh does not comprehend; and flesh does not comprehend it, therefore, all the more because it is called flesh. For they were horrified at this; they said that this was too much for them, they thought this could not be. It is my flesh, he said, for the life of the world. The faithful know the body of Christ if they should not neglect to be the body of Christ. Let them become the body of Christ, if they want to live from the Spirit of Christ. No thing lives from the Spirit of Christ except the body of Christ.
O mystery of true faith! O sign of unity! O bond of love! He who wishes to live has the place to live, has the means to live. Let him approach, let him believe, let him be embodied, that he may be given life. Let him not shrink back from the coalition of members, let him not be a rotten limb which deserves to be cut off, let him not be a deformed one on account of which there is embarrassment. Let him be a beautiful limb, let him be a fitting one, let him be a healthy one, let him adhere to the body, let him live for God from God. Let him now labour on earth that afterwards he may reign in heaven.(St. Augustine of Hippo)
Musical Selection
Collect
God of mercy and compassion, grant that your household, the Church, may persevere in obeying your will, so that in our own day those who offer you true service may grow in number and holiness. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.