Por Fr. Ed Liptak, SDB
We must keep in mind the few verses that precede our 21st Sunday Gospel from John before we take a final plunge into the claims of Jesus, the Lord:
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life (Jn 6:54).
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 Father sent Me and I live because of Him,
So also whoever eats Me, the same
shall live because of Me…Forever! (J 6:58-59).
Jesus speaks of a new reality. As creator, He took on the human flesh of the Virgin Mary, and God was with us. As creator God, He took on the form of Bread and Wine, and in this form, He is God with us until the end of time, until we will be with Him for all eternity. But these words tried the faith of many who were listening, and they responded, being unable to accept them, and they fled. Jesus would be no longer integral to their lives.
Then Jesus turned to His closest disciples, the Apostles, and said, “Does this shock you?” He gave a clue properly understood by our Church from the time they were uttered by our Teacher Jesus. His flesh and blood of the Eucharist are Spirit, and they are true, and they are Love. Then, as He has loved us, let us in faith love Him who gives us Himself for eternal life!
The Bread we receive is spiritual food, and His Blood is spiritual drink. He is in them. His Heart bursts for love of us. The Blood of the Chalice is brim full of his Life! In fact, they are the living Body and Blood of Christ in each, the holy Bread and the Wine. When we receive Him with the proper response of faith, no wonder Jesus says that we are on our way to eternal life in Heaven, to be part of His true and real world of the Spirit. May our response of faith be the response of Peter:
“Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe and are convinced
that You are the Holy One of God!” (69-70).
Brothers and Sisters, God forgive! May we never abandon the Lord! He lives in the Eucharist. We who receive Him live for spiritual and unending life in Him to the glory of the Father.