True Meal

True bread.

52 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” 53 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. 54 Whoever eats[a] my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 59 These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.-John6:52-59

In the gospel reading, Jesus specifically mentioned that His flesh and blood are true food and drink. It is saddening that some take the Eucharist for granted, not knowing how much grace it gives to any person who takes it. However, the Eucharist, the Word and the Church must go hand in hand. What we learn from the Church, what we contemplated and meditated on the Word, and partaking of the Eucharist must abound and exist in our life. We have to cooperate with God, His will and plan so that our life will be meaningful.

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The Living Bread

True Bread.

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets:‘They shall all be taught by God.’Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; 50 this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 51 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.”-John6:44-51

Some Christian groups say that the 'bread' that Jesus mentioned here is metaphorical or symbolic only. However, the last line in today's Gospel clearly states that the 'bread' Jesus speaks of is His flesh. But Jesus never said cannibalism here. In fact, if there is one or two who probed deeper and asked Jesus what He truly meant, His Majesty might just have mentioned transubstantiation here. Later on, Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist in the Last Supper making His body and blood true bread and wine. Not only are we doing it in memory of Jesus, but it is through this Holy Meal that we become truly alive because Jesus lives in our own life.

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The Bread that Gives Life

True food and true work.

22 [a]The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. 23 [b]Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life,[c] which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” 28 So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”-John6:22-29

The food that endures for eternal life comes from Jesus. It is through the Eucharist that we receive this very food that endures eternal life, comes from Jesus, Jesus Himself is the food, and a daily remembrance of Jesus' memory. And as Jesus said, '... work for food... that endures for eternal life.' What work then? To believe in Him, the One sent by God the Father. Jesus truly simplified everything. We need not do much work, rather, to simply believe in Him. We need not toil much for the food that will bring eternal life for it is right in our very midst - the Eucharist. Taking communion truly brings much blessings and graces!

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The Word became flesh

The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth... -John1:1-18

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." The Word may be enough for some, but the Word became flesh isn't it? As the Word became flesh in Jesus, He left us tangible acts in memory of Him primarily through the Eucharist. And through the Eucharist, Jesus is made alive, the Cross became real, the Sacrifice was relived again. What is the Word without the Eucharist, and what is the Eucharist without the Word?

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