First Reading (1 Kgs 19:4-8). Fed by an angel, a broken and dispirited Elijah is able to walk all the way to the mountain of God.
Second Reading (Eph 4:30-5:2). St Paul urges the Ephesians to walk in the way of love and thus live up to their calling.
Gospel (Jn 6:41-51). Jesus is the new manna from heaven. Those who eat this food will live forever.
The First Reading gives us a glimpse into the heart of a prophet, and we see how very human he is. Elijah, the great champion of Yahweh, flees into the desert, a broken and dispirited man. But like the Israelites of old, he is fed with ‘bread from heaven’. Strengthened by this food he continues his journey to Horeb, the mountain of God.
In the Gospel Jesus declares that he is ‘the bread that has come down from heaven.’ This refers to his own being (the one sent by the Father), his Word (his teaching) and his sacramental presence, left to us at the Last Supper.