The Living Bread of Heaven

by Deacon Lorna Goodison on August 05, 2021

“I know there is a God!”  Have you ever heard someone make this remark casually? We may know superficially that there is “a God” but it is the deep intimate relationship that gives purpose and meaning.  As a young college student, I knew there was “a God” but I mistakenly thought I did not need God to find meaning and purpose in life. A few years after graduation, faced with troubling life challenges, I found myself feeling purposeless. Thanks to the kind pastoral care of a priest, I came to understand that my real yearning was for the unending spiritual sustenance which only God in Christ offers. God placed in all our hearts a deep hunger for meaning and fulfillment which only He satisfies.  Yet we constantly pursue satisfaction through worldly achievements, power, and friendships. But the satisfaction they offer is fleeting.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus declared the great mystery of His identity and purpose, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” Jesus asserts that He descended from God to offer to humanity God’s gift of sustenance which endures for time and eternity.  To receive the gift of sustenance we allow ourselves to heed Christ’s call, having been “drawn by the Father.” To eat the bread of heaven is to grow in faith in Christ; to believe in Him and His sacrificial love.  He gave himself as living bread to sustain us and satisfy our deepest hunger, leading us to peace and joy in communion with Jesus’ own self. Ultimately, just as Jesus descended and then ascended, He will raise us up to be with God eternally. What great assurance! What great reason for hope and joy!  Jesus ushers in a new intimate relationship that is uplifting and unending.  

 Are you feeling hopeless, or lacking a sense of meaning or direction? Christ welcomes you. You are called to grow from knowing “there is a God” into a deep intimate relationship with God in Christ.  You are invited to join the body of hungry folks who feast on the sustenance Christ gives in the Holy Scriptures. You can experience His sacred presence and the transcendent joy of being one in Christ when along with other seekers, you partake of His body and blood at the Communion table for we share the One Bread, Jesus Christ.   Amen.

Tags: god, purpose, living bread

About the Author
Deacon Lorna Goodison

Reverend Lorna Goodison was ordained to the Diaconate on April 29, 2007. After discerning a call to ordained ministry, Deacon Lorna completed a process of spiritual discernment and pursued three years of study at the Diocesan School for Christian Studies. She also completed three units of hospice care training through Vitas and for a short while she was a volunteer Chaplain. Highlights of her continuing education activities include a guided visit to Israel and attending the Festival of Homiletics in Boulder, Colorado.

Soon after her ordination, Deacon Lorna was called to serve as Deacon at St. Mary Magdalene. She initiated an outreach ministry to the homeless at St. Laurence Chapel, obtaining the support and involvement of most members of the congregation. This ministry remained a vibrant outreach of the Church until the Chapel closed in 2019.  Other outreach ministries formed include an informal group of members who stay in touch with members who are ill and shut-in. Deacon Lorna remains committed to both the in-reach and outreach ministries of the Church. She has led quiet day reflections for groups within and outside of St. Mary Magdalene. She has often led Deacon’s Masses at small churches without a priest. Of all the ministries in which Deacon Lorna participates, she is most humbled and grateful to be involved in the ministry of praying with congregants facing life’s challenges.

Deacon Lorna serves the Diocese of Southeast Florida as a member of the Disciplinary Committee. She also serves on the Board of Deacons.   

Professionally, Deacon Lorna worked for some years in Human Resource Departments as a Training Manager, but most of her working years were spent in Social Work. She worked with at-risk teenagers counselling them and guiding them to resources to build a meaningful future. The last twenty years of her profession, were spent working with Seniors, guiding them to the resources needed to maintain their safety and independence. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a master’s degree in Adult Education. She is now retired, cherishes some alone time for prayer and reflection, but divides her time between the Church and her family which consists of two daughters, their husbands and three grandchildren.

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