Sacraments

 The crowd said to Jesus:

“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

    He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”

So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.” 
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,

John 6: 30-35

The visible sign of grace being given is through the sacraments.  When we receive the sacraments, there is assurance that this grace freely given begins to work in us.

Lord, when I receive you in the holy Eucharist, I am strengthened because through this bread you live in me.  The manna that the Israelites ate in their journey through the desert strengthened them.  The holy Eucharist I receive is also from God because it is You that my spirit receives.  Thank you for giving us the food that will fortify us through life’s journey.

By receiving the holy Eucharist and with Jesus living in us, we are transformed.  Our hearts and minds change and we begin to truly live the kind of life God wants for us.  To live with inner peace, joy, love, and hope.