The sacred food of the holy Eucharist was pretigured for us in olden times by a heavenly bread called Manna, which God rained down upon our forefathers. This heavenly food had six characteristic qualities or properties, all of which are also present spiritually in our eucharistic food.

The first characteristic of the heavenly bread was that God caused it to drop down from Heaven in a marvellous manner, contrary to the laws of nature. Concerning this God said to our forefathers: It will rain down bread from heaven, for when they arose each morning it lay everywhere on the ground outside their tents, like newly fallen snow. Of this same Manna the prophet says: 'God opened the gates of Heaven and rained down Manna. In like fashion our Lord gives us the bread of his Body in marvellous manner, contrary to the laws of nature, and comes down to us from heaven. Thus God says: I am the living bread that comes from heaven'.