Physical hunger and thirst are used as symbols for spiritual alienation and our deepest human desires. Isaiah 55 addresses an exiled Israel that has been trying to satisfy its deepest desires with things which do not last. The ultimate lesson that is being made known is that the pleasures of this life can never satisfy for we have a much deeper spiritual hunger.
When the Lord came to feed the multitude He transcended the mere desire to feed them physically, but also to provide for the needs of their souls. What was promised to the people in Isaiah has finally come to be fulfilled through Christ and what He gives. The Lord looked upon them and provided for them in order to fill their spiritual hunger.
As would be said by the Lord at the Bread of Life Discourse in John 6, “Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life.” This sign that was worked in the presence of this multitude pointed towards the Eucharist and what would be accomplished through it.
The Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine. Jesus provided for thousands with the five loves of bread, but also has the power to transform bread into His very self, in order that we and those throughout the world may come to be fed spiritually.
As Isaiah invited, “Come to the waters, you who have no money.” Here we can see that the one who provides for our needs has already done so and that all we have to do is come to Him. Instead of coming to Him with the trust of faith it is so easy to get caught up in our own fears, needs, desires, and busyness to where we fail to look towards the Lord and place our trust in Him.
The Eucharist is not a temporary remedy for hunger. Instead through the Eucharist He offers Himself in order that we may come to be filled. The food that the Israelites would partake of in the desert would eventually leave them hungry while the Lord promised “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Let us come to pursue Christ and thus the Eucharist for through such a pursuit we are not attempting to fulfill ourself, but to allow this infinite abundance of grace to fill us to the fullest degree. Such a movement is to shift away from self-reliance to surrender as we place our trust in the Lord not just momentarily, but always.
As we approach the altar of sacrifice let us foster such Eucharistic awareness. Such awareness is to be intentional about our life and its relationship to the Eucharist, not just being on autopilot. Praying in preparation for such a gift prior to Mass and in thanksgiving after Mass, making time for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and going to Him in prayer throughout our day to make a spiritual communion. In such manner we learn to be honest with ourself and to come to Him in the midst of our hunger in order that we may come to find our fill.
