Communion of Saints - Five

THE CRISIS

I am the bread of life.

Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;

this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.

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.”

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. Whoever 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 the one who 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.” Jo 6:48-59

Last real physical evidence of Jesus                                                                Present real physical evidence of Jesus

Some Thoughts For Reflection and Prayer

• "... eats my flesh and drinks my blood ... feeds on me ..." Why does Jesus not soften his expressions, say it is only symbolic language? Is it because this is not merely symbolic language but language pointing to what is real. In the Eucharist, the sign of bread and wine, which we see and taste, now point, not to bread and wine, but to the REAL presence of Jesus.

• As he speaks, Jesus makes this connection: the Passover Lamb, its life sacrificed, only those who eat its flesh are spared from the angel of death. Jesus is the New Sacrificial Lamb who's flesh must be eaten in order to be saved. [ link to Ex.12: ]

• The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ... Indeed! Now we must turn this question around, from a stumbling block to a wondrous mystery to be explored ... "how can" becomes "how does?".

We must seriously examine the quality of our participation in the Eucharist, the Communal gathering of Christ' Faithful, who are the Church. Anyone can come to Mass, hear the words of scripture and the prayers said; even walk up and partake in the bread and cup at communion, and yet not be a part of the "Communion", taking place.

• One must recognize that the elements of the liturgy are signs, pointing to realities happening, here and now, yet things hidden behind the vale of rites and symbols. 

• The rituals of the liturgy, which we experience in our two dimensional world, take us beyond into a third dimension, to hidden realities.

• This is clearly laid out in the CONSTITUTION ON THE SACRED LITURGY - link