Daily Mass Readings – Sunday, 8 August 2027

4 And he went forward, one day’s journey into the desert. And when he was there, and sat under a juniper tree, he requested for his soul that he might die, and said: It is enough for me, Lord, take away my soul: for I am no better than my fathers.

5 And he cast himself down, and slept in the shadow of the juniper tree: and behold an angel of the Lord touched him, and said to him: Arise and eat.

6 He looked, and behold there was at his head a hearth cake, and a vessel of water: and he ate and drank, and he fell asleep again.

7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said to him: Arise, eat: for thou hast yet a great way to go.

8 And he arose, and ate, and drank, and walked in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, unto the mount of God, Horeb.

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

2 I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth.

3 In the Lord shall my soul be praised: let the meek hear and rejoice.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

4 O magnify the Lord with me; and let us extol his name together.

5 I sought the Lord, and he heard me; and he delivered me from all my troubles.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

6 Come ye to him and be enlightened: and your faces shall not be confounded.

7 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

8 The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him: and shall deliver them.

9 O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in him.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God: whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and anger, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy, be put away from you, with all malice.

32 And be ye kind one to another; merciful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you in Christ.

5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as most dear children;

2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath delivered himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

41 The Jews therefore murmured at him, because he had said: I am the living bread which came down from heaven.

42 And they said: Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then saith he, I came down from heaven?

43 Jesus therefore answered, and said to them: Murmur not among yourselves.

44 No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him; and I will raise him up in the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets: And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard of the Father, and hath learned, cometh to me.

46 Not that any man hath seen the Father; but he who is of God, he hath seen the Father.

47 Amen, amen I say unto you: He that believeth in me, hath everlasting life.

48 I am the bread of life.

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead.

50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven; that if any man eat of it, he may not die.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven.If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.

Elijah is exhausted and ready to give up, yet God does not abandon him in his weakness. The angel gives him food and water, then tells him to eat because the journey is still long. The psalm gives voice to the same trust: the poor cry out, and the Lord hears them. God’s care may begin with the strength needed for the next step, but it leads toward his holy presence.

Jesus reveals the deepest form of this nourishment. He is the living bread who came down from heaven, and he gives his flesh for the life of the world. The Father draws us to Christ, where faith receives a life that death cannot destroy. Fed by him, we are meant to live differently: bitterness, anger, malice, and harsh words must give way to kindness, mercy, and forgiveness. Christ’s self-offering becomes the pattern of our own lives. Those who taste the Lord’s goodness are strengthened for the journey and gradually become nourishment and consolation for others.

Lord Jesus, living Bread from heaven, draw me to yourself when I am weary, discouraged, or tempted to lose hope. Feed me with your life and teach me to trust the Father’s care one step at a time. Remove from my heart bitterness, anger, and every impulse that wounds others. Let your mercy shape my words, my choices, and my relationships. Since you gave yourself for the life of the world, make me willing to offer patience, forgiveness, and loving service. Keep me faithful on the long journey until you raise me to everlasting life. Amen.