We have had many first Communions this week and all of our young boys and girls are so joyful to receive! They respond in faith that the bread and wine are changed into Jesus Body and Blood. We have all been away from receiving communion for a long time due to the stay at home order from the pandemic. I hope that we all receive the Body and Blood with joy as our first Communion children did.
Today’s Gospel is one of my favorites, the Bread of Life discourse from John chapter 6. This section follows the miracle of the feeding of the thousands and the multiplication of the bread and fish. This miracle satisfied many people for their immediate hunger, but Jesus has a food that will satisfy for the long term and bring something we all long for: Eternal Life. I would encourage you to read all of John 6.
The Gospel of John is the only one that does not have the institution of the Eucharist at the last supper. Mark, Matthew, and Luke all have this where Jesus establishes the sacrament of the Eucharist changing the break and wine into His body and blood. He also established the ministerial priesthood ability to perform this sacrament as they act in the Person of Christ.
As we John’s Bread of Life discourse with our hindsight of the Last Supper, and his
death and resurrection it really gives it meaning. If we eat Jesus flesh and blood it will give us life. His Body and Blood give us life now by receiving him into our bodies, where we receive his divine nature in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This gives us Grace that provide supernatural strength to be His eyes, hearts, hands, and feet in the world. We become one with Jesus and have the power to overcome challenges in the world by making Jesus know through our showing love of God and our neighbors.
By eating His Body and Blood we are promised Eternal life. We can live forever! We will be resurrected on the last day just like our Lord. How awesome is that! In the Gospel today Jesus tells us these seven times. He means what he says and says what he means.
The disciples did not have the hindsight that we did in knowing the rest of the story about Jesus death and resurrection. When they heard the Bread of Life discourse, they did not fully understand what he meant by eating his flesh and drinking his blood they would have eternal life. Eating anything with blood in it was forbidden in Jewish faith tradition. To some Jesus was saying something that was totally contrary to the teachings of their faith. If you read on later in chapter 6 it says many of disciple disciples left because they didn’t agree with what Jesus was teaching. But there were some who did stay on. Why did they stay? Because they had faith in Jesus that he was the Christ, which means the Messiah, and the Son of God. They had witnessed the miracles of healings feeding of thousands and realized that Jesus was someone special. They did not fully understand, but had faith that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and they stayed with him. They would eventually understand after his death and resurrection, where Jesus appeared alive in his Glorified Body and shared Eucharistic meals with them.
We are all seeking Eternal life. There are all kinds of products that are on the market that we buy to extend life and restore our youth. I have a few here:
Read labels of Now, fish oil, freeman Clay mask, Amazing grace body crème.
All of them provide nourishment and rejuvenation, but do any them say they will give eternal?
We have the Words of Eternal Life spoken to us by Jesus in John Chapter 6. All we need is to have is Faith! Bring out can of faith. If we have faith in Jesus words, the Eucharist will give us life, today and the hope of Eternal life for those who believe.
There are sadly many people today, who don’t believe that the bread and wine is changed into Jesus body and blood, even many Catholics. Some may be challenged by lack of faith. This is a time we all really need to Jesus Body and Blood to unite us and to give us supernatural grace to sustain in these challenging times. Our young children making their first communion are great examples of Faith having in Jesus and that the bread and wine is changed into his Body and Blood. Pray for the gift of faith to believe that the Eucharist is Jesus Body and Blood.
