Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the bread of life 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.”
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. He who eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 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. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also whoever feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
John 6: 51-58
Who among us has ever known hunger? We live a life of comfort that many in this world do not share. Most people of Christ’s day knew hunger all to well. Bread truly was and is life to those whose next meal is in question. Food sustains us, gives us energy, GIVES US LIFE! Is it a coincidence that Christ would refer to Himself as Bread? There are no coincidences with Christ. How important is Bread? After the Christ’s baptism, He fasted in the desert for forty days.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4: 1-4
The first thing the devil tempts Christ with is bread. Christ was True God, and True Man. He was hungry. Satan says, “If you are really God, save yourself, eat!” Christ in His infinite love doesn’t miss an opportunity to teach us. Bread feeds our body, but it is not all we need. It is not even the most important thing we need. We must live by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
What is this bread that Christ asks us to partake in? He tells us we must “Eat His Body and Drink His Blood.” Many in this world will tell you that He did not mean His true Body and Blood but merely a sign of them. If Christ meant only a sign of them, why were the Jews listening to Jesus so confused and disturbed by His statement? They knew exactly what He meant, that’s why! No English translation of the Bible is perfect, even the best of them and filled with flaws. Many of you have heard the saying, “The translator is a traitor.” No translation can be perfect. So we must look at the original Greek texts to see what was truly said. Christ leaves no doubt among the gathered crowds by shocking them with His careful choice of words. Christ’s choice of noun is not soma (body) but sarx (meat) and he does not say phago (eat), but trogo (chew). Christ literally tells them they must Chew His Meat. This was shocking to all those gathered. This was so shocking a statement that it even drove some of Christ’s followers away. The Word of God IS shocking! It should be shocking to all of us. It should shock us out of our sinful ways. The Word of God tears us apart so it can rebuild us in the image of Christ. This is why so many in this world reject the Word of God. Those who say they except Christ but deny His presence in the Eucharist DENY HIM! He is there, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. For Catholics, this is not a suggestion or a teaching to be accepted or rejected at your leisure. This is the Doctrine of the Faith! This you must believe! For it is Truth indeed. All truth subsists in He who has revealed it! Christ is the Truth. The Word of God is not something but somebody! His name is Jesus Christ! Christ no longer walks the earth but He is physically and spiritually present in every tabernacle, in every Catholic Church and on the altar at every Mass celebrated in the world. EVERY SINGLE DAY! Have Faith! Be Fed! Christ is calling to you. Do you have ears to hear Him?
Why did Christ give us this gift of Himself? Why must we eat His Flesh and drink His Blood? What happens when we do? We must first ask, “What happens when I eat a steak”? Does the steak become part of me or do I become part of the steak? Obviously, the steak becomes part of me? What happens when we eat the Eucharist and drink from the chalice? Do we become Christ? Does Christ become us? Both! Christ enters into us and dwells in us, physically as well as spiritually. The same thing happens to us. We become one with Our Lord, spiritually and physically. We become ONE! If we are one with God, we will begin to live for Him and with Him. We can save ourselves and others. If we are living only spiritually with Christ, He cannot come into us completely. We are called to do all things to perfection. What is perfection? It is completion! If we do not Eat His Body and Drink His Blood, we can never be complete. God has an infinite supply of Grace for all of us, but we have to ask for it. We must put ourselves in a position and a state in life to receive Him as completely as possible. Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, IN THE EUCHARIST!
“This is MY Body, Which will be given up for YOU!!! Do THIS in memory of ME!”
