Today is the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ and all our readings relate to this most gracious gift Jesus gave us, the Holy Eucharist. Vatican II declared it to be the Source and Summit of our Christian faith. In the first reading, Moses reminds the Israelites how God sustained them in the long journey through the desert, including sending manna raining down from heaven to satisfy their hunger. This manna was a prophetic sign of what was to come…a new Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. And in John’s Gospel today, we hear the Bread of Life Discourse where Jesus explains that He is this new living bread having come down from heaven. The bread He will give is His “flesh for the life of the world.” He goes on even more graphically to say, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” He does not waiver here despite the quarreling among the Jews who hear him, “For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” Then Jesus ends His message with words of hope: “Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” The gift that Jesus gives is Himself. It is not the manna to sustain our physical life but the bread of life for our spiritual sustenance and eternal life. It is the ultimate gift of Jesus lovingly giving Himself to each of us in the Eucharist. Many of the followers of Jesus left after hearing this. Even today, surveys show that many Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. But as Peter summed it up so clearly when Jesus asked His disciples if they too wanted to leave, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:68-69) Do you believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist? Does your attendance and reverence at Mass reflect your belief? Do you live out your belief?
Reflection by parishioner, Dale Gerber