Saturday of the Third Week of Easter
I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be in the middle of Jesus’ ministry as He was sharing His message. In some ways, it seems like it would be easy to follow Jesus and His teachings when you are able to witness all that He does and says. Today’s gospel indicates that following Jesus was not always easy even for those who had ready access to Him, and many disciples left Jesus to return to their former ways. As I reflect on today’s reading, I place myself in the scene and I imagine Jesus asking me, “Do you also want to leave?” I realize that Jesus and my faith are the foundation of who I am. “Master, to whom shall I go?”
Throughout this week the daily gospel readings have been focused on John’s “Bread of Life” discourse. Jesus has told His followers that He is the “bread which came down from heaven.” Jesus shares that He will give His very flesh and blood, so that all might have life everlasting. The disciples who hear this are perplexed as to how this man can give them His flesh that will provide eternal nourishment for them. Many find these difficult to accept, and they leave. Peter and apostles are asked by Jesus if they also want to leave, and Peter responds, “We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” As I reflect on this situation, I suspect that Peter and the apostles do not have a clear understanding about what Jesus is saying when He calls Himself “the bread of life.” Although the apostles do not comprehend the truth regarding Jesus giving His flesh and blood as food and drink, they had witnessed how Jesus gave Himself with great love and mercy to others throughout His ministry. The apostles realize that Jesus is presence of God, so although they cannot comprehend the mystery of the “bread of life”, they believe He can become food and drink for the world. The apostles also understand that staying connected to Jesus is the source of their hope and salvation. After Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, Peter and the apostles are inspired by the Spirit to believe that Jesus created this sacred meal to enable all people to remain “in Him.” The participation in this Eucharistic meal where we eat His body and drink His blood becomes central to becoming and remaining part of the Body of Christ.
This focus on the Eucharist is significant for Catholics, since our Catechism states it is the “source and summit of Christian life.” What makes this sacrament central to our faith and our relationship with Jesus? As I thought about the celebration of the Eucharist there were several quotes that gave words to my experience. “The Eucharist is God’s physical embrace of us. It is the place where God is still taking on physical flesh.” (Fr. Ronald Rolheiser) The idea that I can physically experience God as I receive communion is a mystery that is difficult to comprehend, but this experience still brings me great hope and comfort. Jesus’ great love for me (and for all of us) takes on physical form in the consecrated bread and wine, and this love provides me the means to share love with others.
St. Augustine reminds us that we are already part of the Body of Christ, so we are challenged to “Be what you see, and receive what you are” as we receive the blessed bread and wine at Mass. When the Spirit is invoked during the consecration, not only do the bread and wine become the Body of Christ, but the people gathered become Christ’s presence in the church. We are then sent out to take this presence to the world. Without the presence of Christ in me, it would be impossible to go forward living a life of love, mercy and hope. Like the apostles, I may not know exactly how the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, but I know that without His presence, I am nothing.
One of the challenges I face is the fact that I cannot explain the Eucharist. I find comfort in the fact that I am not alone.
Fr. Rolheiser says it well. “In the end, it defies not just theology professors, but metaphysics, phenomenology, and language itself. There is no adequate explanation of the Eucharist for the same reason that, in the end, there is no adequate explanation for love, for embrace, and for the reception of life and spirit through touch. Certain realities take us beyond language because that is there very purpose. They do what words cannot do.” It is the Spirit that provides me the faith to believe that I receive God’s presence in the consecrated bread and wine. I have come to realize that without this Presence I do not have purpose or meaning. So as Jesus asks me if I will leave, I look into His eyes and say, “To whom shall I go?
Loving God, Jesus shares Himself with us by sharing His body and blood at the Eucharist. May Your Spirit bless our lives, so we can become food and drink for those in need. May we follow Jesus’ command to celebrate this feast of love, and may we always be grateful for this food that feeds our hunger. We pray this in Christ’s name. AMEN.
Marylynn Herchline