Elijah has just beaten the prophets of Baal in a contest which proves beyond doubt that Yahweh is the true God. The victory should have convinced the Israelites to return to God, but to Elijah’s frustration, they continue to follow Baal. Not only that, he now runs for his life since the vindictive queen Jezebel vows to pursue him to his death. Totally exhausted in body and in spirit, he sits under a solitary broom tree and bitterly laments, “Enough, Lord… Take my life for I am no better than my fathers.”
Elijah gives up and lays himself to sleep while awaiting death. But God does not give up on Elijah. He sends his angel not once but twice to wake him up and provides him bread and water. Strengthened by the food, the prophet continues his journey for forty days and forty nights until he reaches the holy mountain.
We can easily relate to Elijah’s story for we too have experienced similar bouts of desperation and depression. Like Elijah, we too give up. But God does not give up on us. God sends angels to wake us up and gently prod us to move ahead; he also provides food to strengthen us and enable us to reach our destination.
Let us thank God for the many angels he sends in times when we feel like giving up. They are those who shake us from our lethargy and put us back on track. They pick us up when we fall and restore our confidence when we lose it. They are our parents, friends, spouse, people who care about us, as well as people we may not even know but whose life and example inspire us. They sustain us with food that comes in varied forms like an encouraging word, a reassuring smile, a friendly pat, a warm hug, and an unwavering trust.
A corollary. As God sends angels to assist us in our moments of need, he also sends us to be angels to our brothers and sisters in distress.
Elijah’s journey reminds us of our one important journey in life. Like Elijah, we journey towards the mountain of God, our ultimate destination. Today’s gospel tells us that in this all-important journey, God sends us not just some angel to help us but his own Son to accompany and guide us all the way. In fact, he IS the Way. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6)
Likewise, to sustain us on this journey, God gives us not than just a hearth cake and a jug of water, but the Word of God incarnate. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus is the Word of Life. For this reason, all he asks is to have faith in him – to believe in him. “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”
Finally, Jesus reveals himself as the true bread that comes down from heaven. He tells the Jews that while their ancestors ate manna and died, whoever eats of his bread will not die but will live forever. As the angel’s bread sustained Elijah on his journey to Mount Horeb, the manna in the desert sustained the Israelites only up to the promised land. Instead, the bread that Jesus offers will sustain us not only on our journey to eternal life. It is eternal life itself. The bread that Jesus offers is none other than himself. “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.”