I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven
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 (cf. Jn. 6:51).
The mystery of Christ's will is wonderful: to give himself to us as food. In biblical language, flesh and blood simply means man in his commitment to the world. To give your body and blood for the life of the world means to give yourself completely in love so that we may participate in His love, that is, in God's life.
The very symbolism of flesh and blood has many dimensions. First of all, the Lord Jesus calls you to eat them, and not to admire them, for example. As food, they become the substance of our body and blood, that is, the source of life energy, giving us the power to act, and thus to our commitment to the world. It is sometimes said that we become what we eat. With regard to the Eucharist, this saying acquires a special meaning, because this is actually the meaning and purpose of consuming the Body and Blood of the Lord: we are not only to be completely transformed into His image, but to become His Body. In turn, by consuming His Body and Blood, we ourselves should become bread for others, as St. Brother Albert said. We cannot do it without consuming the Body and Blood of Christ.
The sentence: "Living bread which has come down from heaven" clearly indicates the manna given to the Jews in the desert. In the Book of Deuteronomy, we get a surprising interpretation of manna, a gift from heaven. The author writes: He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your ancestors, so you might know that it is not by bread alone that people live, but by all that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD. (Dt 8:3)
When we read the account of the appearance of the manna, it shows that, faced with the threat of hunger in the desert, God wanted to give the Israelites food so that they would see that He was able to provide for their basic needs. Centuries later, the author of the Book of Deuteronomy interprets this event completely differently. The Lord Jesus used these words during the temptation in the desert to resist the temptation of Satan. Nevertheless, in the form of the Bread, which is Christ, we obtain a synthesis of the bread and the word that comes from the mouth of God. He is everything that the Father nourishes us, because He is both the Bread and the Word. In him we receive everything.
Saint Paul in the letter to Corinthians today's shows us the ultimate meaning and purpose of eating the Body and Blood of Christ: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf (cf. 1 Cor. 10:16-17)
The Church is the Body of Christ. Our consuming of the Body and Blood of Christ brings us to the fullness of His mystery. By participating in His Blood and Body, we become a sign of His presence in the world and of His saving action. At the end of each Holy Mass after communion, that is, after consuming the Body and Blood of Christ, as those who have obtained a share in his Body and Blood, we receive the priestly blessing and the command: "Go in the peace of Christ." May today's participation in the Holy Mass help us to become aware of this truth of our Christian life.
We have to eat to live. Especially when it comes to eternal life. Except that eternal life requires food that is eternal. Eternal food is love - any love, but it is best if it is in its purest form. That is why Jesus calls himself living bread and urges us to feed on Him, because he is Love in its purest form. If there is so little love in the world, it is because we are spiritually malnourished - not fed by love. And once we eat it, we often waste it instead of assimilating it. We acquire love only by giving it to others.
We have all received gifts from God, we have all been attracted by God, we are all baptized and received the Holy Spirit! But it is a Gift that we need to accept, we have to let ourselves be pulled by Him, and begin to live according to it. The gift obliges! Saint Paul admonishes his disciples in Ephesus: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption (cf. Eph. 4:30). We grieve the Spirit by living according to a completely different spirit, a world spirit full of bitterness, discouragement, mutual selfishness and resentment, a spirit of discord and unforgiveness. Then we are not able to truly taste the bread of life, because that is not life which brings this bread. Admonition of St. Paul is a proper instruction for us and an indication of the way on which we can discover the value of the Eucharist, spiritual food for life. It tastes only to those who live the same Spirit, live the same desire and aspiration: Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. So be imitators of God,* as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma (Eph. 4: 31-5: 2)
Let us accept these words of St. Paul, as words addressed directly to us, let's allowGod's grace work in us, let the Holy Spirit transform us, lead us through the power of the Eucharistic food to the Father in Heaven
Until Tomorrow
fr. george