From the Saltbeds by Retituto C. Basa

WE are told by Bible scholars that the critical events that happened in the Old Testament, more particularly those that occured during the Exodus, were foreshadows of things to come in the New Testament era.

The exodus was the 40-year trek of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised and, their native country, Canaan, or modern day Israel.

It took them 40 years to complete the journey because they took a very circuitous route. There was a short-cut route, but the way was occupied by people who were predisposed to ambush and obliterate them, the Caananites. (Just like today; the Arabs want to drive the Israelites to the sea and grab their land).

Because they were on the move, Israelites had no time t plant crops for their subsistence. Their God, Yahweh, provided for their daily needs. Every morning the Good Lord sent down to earth manna from heaven. In the evening the Lord provided them with meat. (See Exodus 16:1-36).

The manna, the ration of the Israelites in the desert for 40 years, was a foreshadow of the ‘bread of life’ in New Testament times.

The bread of life in the New Testament is Jesus Christ.

He said: “I am the bread of life.”(John 6:35). He went on to say further: “He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

So that we may have eternal life in Him, he instituted the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or what we call the Holy Communion.

In this sacred religious rite, we partake of two elements, the bread and the wine.

The bread represents  His body; the wine represents his blood.

In Roman Catholic liturgy, after the priest consecrates the elements, the bread turns into the actual body of Christ, and the wine into His actual blood.

We are living in perilous times. We may come under martial law or a dictatorial form of government. Our hope is in the Lord. It is time we pray for our  nation. Let us pray that the Good Lord puts us under His “protective wings”. The burning of the COMELEC headquarters last Sunday is a portrait of unthinkable things to come.

“God save our land.”