Dear Blessed Sacrament Families, 

We are in the sixth month of our Eucharistic artwork novena. Today we sent home an image titled, “Right Wing of an Altarpiece with the Gathering of Manna.” As the title indicates, this painting is just a portion of a larger work created to hang above an altar. The work was completed between 1510 and 1520, and the artist is unknown. Interestingly, the left wing of the altarpiece is an image of Melchizedek giving bread to Abraham (reminding me of last month’s painting!). The middle section of the work was lost but is thought to have been an image of the Last Supper.    

What I love about Sacred Scripture is seeing the many ways in which the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament. Stories like the gathering of manna and Abraham meeting the mysterious king and high priest Melchisedek prefigure Jesus Christ, who first feeds the 5,000, then offers himself in the gift of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. In all of this, we get a glimpse of the mind of God, who reveals himself throughout the Old Testament and fully reveals his love in the gift of His Son.    

In Jesus our Eucharistic King, 

Sister Marie Caritas, CK