Reading 1
Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a
Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
"Do not forget the LORD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers."
1st Reading
It was the Lord who rescued the Israelites from slavery and then protected them in the desert from serpents and scorpions. Once God gives himself to us through the Eucharist (Gospel) we are reminded that only HE protects us from sin (scorpions and serpents). It is HE who rescues us today from “slavery” to sin. He does this by being present to us through Holy Communion. The Gospel explains this in detail. God protects and loves us today just as he protected and loved the Israelites.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R. (12) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading II
1 Cor 10:16-17
Brothers and sisters:
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.
Gospel
Jn 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"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."
Gospel
Jesus says twice that whoever eats his flesh will live forever. He says that his flesh gives life to the world. He says that his flesh and blood are true food and drink. What is it that makes it true and how does his flesh gives us eternal life? What does all of this mean, and why is this important?
Food For Eternity
The Eucharist is called the source, and summit of the Christian faith. Why? Do you believe that God is literally the creator of the universe? If so, remember that with God’s Word, came the creation of the universe.1 God needed only to speak, and things were created. That’s how powerful his word is.
At the last supper, Jesus said, “this is my body, and this is my blood”. He meant it literally and you can see this clearly in John 6:66. Whatever God's word says, happens.This is the same chapter as Sunday’s gospel. It says that after hearing Jesus say that he was the bread of life, “many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” If Jesus was speaking symbolically about being the bread of life, and about eating his flesh, they would not have left. They left because he meant it literally and they probably didn’t understand him.
When Jesus becomes present on the alter at Mass, he is there literally and we celebrate his life, his sacrifice, and his very presence at mass. I will discuss 2 major effects the Eucharist has on us.
Strengthens Our Relationship with Jesus
Holy Communion strengthens our bond with Christ.2 That’s because Communion is a physical and spiritual bond between us and Jesus. Many of us have seen a painting of Jesus hugging a person in heaven. Someone was with me when I saw this painting, and he said, “that would be awesome to hug Jesus”. Well, we don’t have to WISH to be with Jesus. Jesus comes to us in an intimate way as he literally enters our bodies at Communion. Just as in marriage where husband and wife are joined flesh to flesh, we are joined flesh to flesh with Jesus. Is it not intimate when a husband’s flesh is joined to his wife’s? Jesus offers us the same intimacy with him at Holy Communion. This makes us closer to God. This is why Jesus says in this gospel, “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” He means this literally. It is through the Eucharist that our relationship with God is strengthened.
Protection Against Sin
The longer we go without food, the weaker we get. It is the same spiritually. The longer we go without God, the weaker we get spiritually. The world beats us down and draws us away from Christ. Through Holy Communion, we “receive free and undeserved help from God” (grace).3 So God gives us himself literally and physically to help us even though we don’t deserve his help. God’s grace at Holy Communion increases our generosity towards others. That means we are more tolerant and loving towards others. Again, Holy Communion, which we experience every Sunday, makes us more loving towards others. How does that work? As we draw near to Christ, he “revives our love”. We are so close to Christ that he rubs off on us.
Because of Christ’s holy presence, we are forgiven our venial (less serious) sins.4
Not only are we forgiven of our venial sins by Jesus’ presence, but we are also protected from future mortal (serious) sins. Our friendship with God increases at Holy Communion, making it more “difficult to break away from him by mortal sin.”5 The Eucharist brings us closer to God. It makes us more loving and more Christ-like. Jesus in the Eucharist forgives us our venial sins and protects us from serious sin. This is why Jesus calls his flesh “true food and true drink” in this Gospel. The Eucharist is the ONLY food ever known to man that brings man closer to God and protects him from sin. This is also what Jesus meant when he said, “whoever eats this bread will live forever”.
In summary, the Eucharist is true food and drink which gives us eternal life because through Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist, he increases our generosity towards others, forgives our sins, and protects us from committing serious sins.
Preparation For a Meeting With Jesus
Holy Communion is not just a meal that we imitate in order to remember Jesus. In participating in Holy Communion make an act of obedience. We say yes to Jesus’ invitation to “do this in memory of me.” We make a statement when we take the Eucharist. Before we approach Jesus we say, “Christ has died, Alleluia, Christ is Risen, Alleluia, Christ will come again, Alleluia! In a statement of humility, faith and worship, we say:
- “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us. Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.”
- “Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed”.
- “Amen” - in response to “body of Christ”. Amen means “true” or “I agree”.
In Celebrating Jesus’ coming and his presence at Mass, we speak our beliefs to God and everyone present including:
- Jesus I believe you have power over sin, have mercy on me, please give me peace.
- Jesus, I am not worthy to be in your presence
- Jesus, thanks for coming (Eucharist means act of thanksgiving)
- Jesus, I believe you are truly present
At Mass, we make statements about what we believe. In response to our great faith, Jesus gives himself to us truly and completely.
But why would Jesus choose after his death on the cross to become present in the Eucharist?
- To protect us from sin- He knows that we need help against sin. He wants to give us a hand because he cares about us. He asks us to “make disciples of all nations”.6 He knows that we can’t do it alone. We are sinful and we need his help to do his will.
- To be our strength- Jesus tells us to “love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves”. In order to do this, we need help. We can‘t do it on our own. Jesus says that, “I am with you always until the end of the age”.
- To help us see him- he comes to us in a tangible way, through bread in wine so that we might understand that he is with us that he is our ONLY lifeblood.
Preparation for Jesus
Everything that God does, he does out of love. That’s why he comes to us in the Eucharist in his COMPLETE presence. Committing a mortal (serious) sin is just like cheating on God. Approaching Jesus at Mass having committed an unconfessed mortal sin is like cheating on your wife with some girl and then bringing that girl home with you to meet your wife. God gives us himself as an act of generosity and of love. If I show up holding the hand of my “wicked girlfriend” (mortal sin) it is a SUPREME insult and profanity to God. Remember that in our participation in the Eucharist at mass, we speak our belief in the saving power of Jesus. Imagine saying to Jesus, “yes I believe you are here” (by saying “Amen”) while cheating on God and bringing the adultress to meet Jesus. That’s why Holy Communion forgives venial sins and not mortal ones. In mortal sin, we voluntarily turn our backs completely to the Lord. We cannot kneel at his feet where we belong, while also turning our backs to him. We cannot say we believe in Christ and that we love him while at the same time preferring something of the world over him.
The point is, we must NEVER approach Jesus in the Eucharist having committed an unconfessed mortal sin. If we do this, we profane God, we insult him and we will be judged accordingly.7
The Center of Our Christian Lives
The Eucharist is called “the source and summit of the Christian life.“8 Everything that is good about the church is in the Eucharist because Jesus is the Eucharist. Jesus is the center of our lives and thus the Eucharist is the center of our lives.
The Point
- Jesus is the creator of the universe. What he says, happens. He said, “this is my body and blood“, so it happed and continues today.
- Because of Jesus’ actual presence, our friendship with him is strengthened at Holy Communion
- The Eucharist increases our charity and generosity. Because we consume Jesus, we become like him.
- Holy Communion forgives venial sins and protects us from mortal sins because in Holy Communion we are drawn to the Lord and our relationship is strengthened so it becomes more difficult to break away from him.
- At Mass, we speak our belief in ALL that Jesus said and commanded. The Eucharist is a statement of our faith.
- Jesus gave us the Eucharist to protect us from sin, to strengthen us for our mission, and to be completely present with us in a way we can see with our eyes.
- Receiving Jesus while having committed an un-confessed serious sin, is another sin against the very body and blood of Jesus
Real Life
Father Richard Thomas S.J. was a well-known Jesuit priest who died 2 years ago. He was asked to speak by Christians from all over the United States and was even a requested speaker by protestant believers. He was asked to speak in Europe and the middle east. He had at least one master’s degree and perhaps even more than that. According to a former teacher of Father Thomas, Father Thomas was the wealthiest kid at Jesuit High, a private school in Tampa, FL.
Father Thomas was known to pray all day long. He would pray while he was working. He would thank God for everyday things like going to the bathroom. He would ask God to help him with seemingly non-religious things like landscaping and fishing. I am sure that he asked God what he should say before his sermons.
On one occasion, a group of people requested him as a speaker at a convention of some sort and he was a key note speaker. The people had paid for his travel expenses to speak because of his tremendous reputation as a speaker. Father Thomas addressed the audience, saying “God hasn’t given me anything to say today.” Then he sat back down. The people who had requested Father Thomas as a speaker were very disappointed.
Years later, Fr. Thomas told a close friend about this incident and Father Thomas said that God was testing his obedience that day and it never happened again. We can only serve the Lord if we are humble and obedient.
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1- Genesis chapter 1
2- Catechism of the Catholic Church 1391
3- CCC 1996
4- CCC 1394- this whole paragraph on the forgiveness of sins and protection from serious (mortal) sin is paraphrased from CCC 1394
5- CCC 1395
6- Matt 28:19
7- 1 Corinthians 11:27
8- CCC 1324
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