This week’s Gospel reading from John continues with the Bread of Life Discourse. The reading begins with Jesus explaining to his disciples, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world”. Jesus is preparing his disciples for the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper soon to come. He is revealing that He is the Son of God, the Messiah. His words “I am” in this passage will be echoed later in this Gospel when Jesus describes His relationship to Abraham, considered the father of the Jews. Jesus replied to them, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM” (Jn 8:58). These words were heard in the Old Testament when Moses asks God who should he say sent him to the Israelites. “God replied, I am who I am”. Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus is revealing not only that He is God but also human (i.e., Incarnation).

What we eat in the Eucharist is not mere bread and wine, despite its appearance, but truly the real Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus tells us “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day”. Jesus is not speaking symbolically. He knows they are struggling and “quarreling” about His message. Notice Jesus does not try to explain how this could be. He just insists again that it is truly His Body and Blood they must eat. He goes on to say that it is not enough to consume something provided by God like the manna in the desert. The Israelites who ate it eventually died. To receive eternal life, we must consume God Himself in the Eucharist. The bread is no longer an earthly thing but has been changed into the divine person of our Savior. This is our hope and faith that “whoever eats this bread will live forever”. In the words of the great Catholic novelist, Flannery O’Connor, when challenged about the Eucharist, “Well, if it’s just a symbol, to hell with it”. If we can’t accept this essential truth, then we may be Christian but we can’t be Catholic. This is a sacred mystery beyond human understanding but is really that simple. We must “walk by Faith not by sight”.

Reflection by parishioner Dale Gerber