To Come and Feast on His Table

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Aug. 16, 2009 (Jn 6:51-58)

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real 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 live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."

It is very difficult to accept the teaching of Jesus about His giving of Himself as bread for all. Killing someone is a most gruesome sin. What more is eating someone's flesh? The Jews did not understand this teaching, nor was it easily accepted by the pagans who heard of it when the disciples preached Christianity to all nations. How could a God allow Himself to be eaten by people? This teaching challenged the wisdom of the pagans. As St. Paul puts it, "We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23)." When we think about it, it really is foolish of Jesus to offer Himself on the cross and as bread in the Eucharist. But, "the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom (1 Cor 1:23)."

Jesus' offering of Himself is the greatest sign of God's love for man. This is what God destined and revealed even in the first pages of the Bible. In the Book of Genesis, God promised to send a Savior who will defeat Satan. But who would have thought that God will save us in this way?

God must have judged it better to redeem us through the bitter passion and glorious resurrection of Jesus in order to give us an example of giving oneself, of giving everything without withholding anything. Through Jesus, God did not only redeem us; He also gave us a model to follow in order to avoid sinking in the quicksand that is sin.

In the Eucharist, Jesus continuously nourishes us and gives us life. He says, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you (Jn 6:53)." The souls of those who do not receive the Eucharist slowly become weak. The Eucharist is not a vitamin for the soul, giving it only extra strength; the soul needs it because it is its primary food. The Eucharist is Jesus, and Jesus is the only source of life and strength.

Therefore, we must receive the Eucharist often. If there are some things, like sin, for example, which hinder us from receiving it, we must denounce them with God's help, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We must strive to be worthy to receive the food of our soul. If we work hard to feed our bodies, we must work harder to feed our souls. Yes, this food is given free of charge, but we must be pure and worthy to receive it.

God, in His great love, is giving Himself as life-giving food for us. May we receive Him in faith. In receiving Him, Jesus comes to dwell in us, and we begin to live because of Him, with Him, in Him, and in the way He lived. On the last day, we shall be born in eternal life because we have fed our souls.

God has given us everything as a gift. We need only to come and feast on His table.