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              Have you ever considered how much of our time is devoted to  feeding our bodies?

              I would not know how to calculate the time that involves. It would vary from person to person and from day to day. But I suspect all of us would be amazed at what percentage of our time is devoted to feeding our bodies.

            As we reflect on all this, there are two things that we should also keep in mind. One is that there are many people in our world today who do not eat nearly as well as we do. And the other is that our souls need feeding, just as surely as our bodies do. That second thought is the theme of this reflection.

          Jesus knew the necessity for physical food as well as anyone else.  He devoted much of His ministry to feeding hungry people and taught His disciples to do the same. But He was equally as concerned for hungry hearts as He was for hungry bodies.

         Our human heart literally gets hungry for God. This note is sounded throughout the entire Bible. Whether we recognize it or not, our hearts get hungry for God.  We may call it by other names.  We may seek to satisfy it in other ways. But our hears are longing for communion with God.

          You and I are not machines. We were not put together by General Motors. We are men and  women created in the image of God. And there is an inherent link, and indissoluble relationship between the creature and the Creator. Because of this, there is a longing in each of us, which nothing in this world can satisfy.

         The psalmist understood this hunger in his own heart when he wrote: “As the deer longs for the running water, so my soul longs for You, O God. When shall I go and behold the face of God.”

         St. Augustine was expressing the same thought when he wrote that God has made us for Himself, and our souls will find no rest until they rest in him.

         So, is there someone who is restless deep inside? Recognize it for what it is. It is just as normal as your body’s need for food. We cannot live on bread alone. We need spiritual food as well. We long for communion with God. Our souls must be nurtured on “the living bread come down from heaven.” This is a reality we need to think about today and every day.