The Eucharist- Just a Piece of Bread? Mass Readings for August 9, 2009

A few years ago, I was at Church where a middle-school-aged boy said to everyone "it's just bread" referring to the Eucharist. I think the boy was saying out loud what many Catholics incorrectly believe to this day.


We Catholics believe that the Eucharist, is the source and summit of our faith. If the Eucharist is the source and summit of your faith, you should be able to answer this question: "Why is the Eucharist the source and summit of your faith?" This week's gospel helps us to understand the Eucharist more.


Gospel
Jn 6:41-51

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,
“I am the bread that came down from heaven, ”
and they said,
“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?
Do we not know his father and mother?
Then how can he say,
‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Stop murmuring among yourselves.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
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.”


Ordinary Bread Versus Jesus


Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist, yet when we look upon the consecrated host, we might find ourselves "murmuring" just like the Jews in the Gospel. We might say something like, "That's Jesus? Is this not the bread that just came out of a plastic bag? Do we not know where it was manufactured? Does it not taste like bread?"


After the murmuring in the Gospel, Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him". This seems to be a reference to baptism where we are given the gift of faith. In other words, we cannot believe in the Eucharist except by the hand of God which comes upon us at baptism (at baptism we receive a supernatural faith).


As Catholics we do NOT believe that the bread changes in a scientifically-measurable way. But don't we believe in electrons and atoms even though we have never seen them? We Catholics believe that the bread has become Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit even though we can see no difference. Now if the Eucharist is Jesus in his ENTIRETY, then how can the Eucharist NOT be the source and summit of our faith? Is it not Jesus whom we worship? Is he not the source of all that is good? Is he not God? Jesus is Lord. The Eucharist is Jesus. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. If you find this difficult to believe, remember that there was only one teaching that resulted in some of Jesus' followers leaving him. It was the teaching of the Eucharist. You can read about Jesus' followers leaving him in John Chapter 6. Even the apostles who remained with Jesus had difficulty believing. In John 6:60 his disciples say to Jesus, "this saying is hard, who can accept it?"


If you are having difficulty believing that the Eucharist is Jesus, you should trust in God and use the faith he has given you. You must USE your God-given faith! After several of Jesus' healings, Jesus told the healed person "your faith has saved you". Now let's take a look at what happens at Mass every week.


Holy Mass


The Eucharist is the summary of our faith. The Eucharistic encounter is like the short story of man. God creates man, man needs God. God gives himself to man. Man accepts.

In the Eucharist, we can see that God gives himself to us freely. God knows that food alone does not satisfy the needs of man, but only God can do that. In his generosity, God gives man what man needs- God himself. In preparation for our weekly encounter with God at Mass, we refuse mortal sin (which makes us incompatible with God) and instead seek God even though many mortal sins can give us temporary pleasures (e.g. premarital sex, stealing, missing Mass etc).


When faced with the decision of whether or not to attend Mass, we might say just as the apostles said to Jesus "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." At the celebration of the Eucharist (Mass), we admit that we cannot live without God. We admit that the things of this world are not enough for us. We acknowledge that we need God and that we cannot live without him. And what does God say in reply? "Your faith has saved you."


Yes, it's neat that Elijah received food from God at a time when Elijah was fleeing for his life. But I am sure Elijah would have preferred to have what most of us have access to every day- the Euchurist. Jesus says in this week's Gospel "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.”


A Preview of Heaven


In this gospel, Jesus says, "I will raise him on the last day". What does this have to do with the Eucharist? Paragraph 1402 of the Catechism says that "If the Eucharist is the memorial of the Passover of the Lord Jesus, if by our communion at the altar we are filled "with every heavenly blessing and grace," then the Eucharist is also an anticipation of the heavenly glory."


That's right. Jesus says, "I will raise him on the last day because the Eucharist is very closely related to heaven. The activity that we do every weekend (Mass), which some Catholics find boring, is truly a snapshot of heaven. Perhaps what makes heaven so great is that God gives himself to us (even though we have done nothing to deserve his love) and like we do during Mass, the holy souls in heaven respond to God by acknowledging his greatness in never-ending praise. Can you believe that the same thing happens at Sunday Mass? God gives himself to us eternally, and we respond in praise (even our attendance is pleasing to him) and thanksgiving. At communion, we experience a real union with God as he becomes one with us and his divinity enters our bodies which can only happen because God has sanctified us through baptism.


When Jesus said, "Do this in memory of me", he didn't just mean that he wanted us to remember him. He was telling us to celebrate the Mass; to break bread with one another. And of course part of Mass includes an invitation to participate in communion. We have an opportunity to respond to the invitation to holy communion as Mary responded- "Behold, I am the servant (handmaid) of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."


Because the Lord cares so much about us, he gives himself to us at Mass. He does this because he loves us.

Read more about the Eucharist



Reading 1
1 Kgs 19:4-8

Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
“This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
Let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
And delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy.
And your faces may not blush with shame.
When the afflicted man called out, the LORD heard,
And from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.


Reading II
Eph 4:30—5:2

Brothers and sisters:
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.
All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling
must be removed from you, along with all malice.
And 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

True Intimacy With Jesus

This week's commentary is on the source, and summit of the Christian life- The Eucharist. There is commentary following the 1st reading and the Gospel.

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