This weekend we continue with the Gospel theme of Jesus as “The Bread of Life.” We read all the time in the media about people who are literally starving…people (including children) who don’t have enough to eat from day to day. We are well aware of the people that we help right here in Troy who fall into this category. The people that we help feed at the Roarke Center, Joseph House, Bethany Hospitality Inn, Concerns-U, and the Damien Center remind us that basic physical hunger is a problem right in our own backyards. There is also, however, a different kind of hunger from which people are suffering. It’s called spiritual hunger and THIS hunger is just as pervasive as physical hunger. We are living in a world where people of all races and creeds hunger perhaps more for spiritual sustenance than for physical food. In response to the spiritual hunger of people in his own day, Jesus proclaims himself to be “the bread of life that came down from heaven." “The BREAD OF LIFE!” Whoa…that phrase packs a big message. It means that the Holy Eucharist actually gives us a share of eternal life while we are still on earth. The Eucharist gives us spiritual nourishment while we build the Kingdom of God right here on earth. No doubt, you have heard the phrase, "you are what you eat?" This is definitely true when it comes to the Eucharist. When we consume Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, God actually assimilates us into HIS being. Then, from day to day we should be “growing into Jesus,” as he grows in us. Then, as we grow in Jesus, our lives will be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we will become MORE LIKE HIM. Thus, we shall share in the joyous and challenging life of being the Body of Christ for the world – bread for a hungry world, and drink for those who thirst for justice, peace, fullness of life, and even eternal life. In other words, the Eucharist challenges us to sacrifice ourselves for others, as Christ has done for us and for all mankind. This is a lot for us to comprehend, but it is nonetheless true. Those of us who believe in Jesus, “The Bread of Life,” are sustained by Him in our day-to-day lives. You may know the famous story of Jean Henri Fabre, the French naturalist, and his processional caterpillars. He encountered some of these interesting creatures one day while walking in the woods. They were marching in a long unbroken line front to back, front to back. What would happen if he made a complete ring with these worms? Would they break their circle or not? So, Fabre captured enough caterpillars to encircle the rim of a flowerpot. He linked them nose to posterior and started them walking in the closed circle. For days they turned like a perpetual merry-go-round. Although food was near at hand and accessible, the caterpillars starved to death on an endless march to nowhere. That seems to be the story of many people today. They are on a march that leads to nowhere. We need to stop for a moment, and sit down in the presence of Jesus and receive him as the bread of our spiritual life. “Gospel Homework for the Week”: Spend a few minutes this week reflecting upon the Eucharist in your life.