If you have ever felt defeated and discouraged… if you’ve ever been so stressed, so tired, so burned out that you were tempted to just throw in the towel and quit, perhaps we can take some cues from the story of Elijah. Sometimes the first and most important thing we need in times like this is rest. Then, the angel nudged Elijah to wake up and get something to eat. Finally, the angel told Elijah that sleeping and eating were meant not only to lift his drooping spirits, but to prepare him for the next leg of his journey. We are all on our way home to God. It takes food and rest to get there, to undertake the journey, to survive the rough patches and crises along the way, and to keep on going until we reach the finish line. Jesus invites us to come to him regularly in prayer, wearied and burdened as we may be, and he will give us the rest we need to carry on. And Jesus also invites us to eat the Bread of Life, the Eucharist. It is the food that will sustain us all the way to heaven.