The Bread of Eternal Life: Jn. 6:4151

08-11-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

Jesus became the Bread of Life by dying for us on the cross. He is the Bread God provided in our journey, much like the one provided for Elijah as he journeyed to Mt. Horeb, the miraculous bread. For forty days, Elijah lived with only this bread at Mt Horeb. The hearth cake that sustained Elijah was like the Holy Eucharist God provided food to sustain him in his journey. Is this not what Jesus said in the Gospel: He is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven, the source and sustenance of life until we reach our final destiny, eternal life?

Jesus Christ, the bread of life, is the Holy Eucharist that makes us know and live. From the beginning, the first man wants to know the secret of life. When God put man in the Garden of Eden, He made them stewards of paradise, with the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But the first man wanted to know and decided for himself and acted accordingly. The desire for moral independence, rejection of control, and failure to acknowledge his being a creation of God was the beginning of the downfall of man.

The Holy Eucharist, the body and blood of Christ, makes us live. The bread that comes down from heaven is for man to eat and never die. Receiving the Eucharist regularly gives man the moral strength to make the right decisions, resist temptations, and preserve the divine life received in baptism. With the bread of life in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ teaches: I AM THE LIVING BREAD COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. IF ANYONE EATS OF THIS BREAD, HE SHALL LIVE FOREVER (Jn. 6:51). The reception of the Holy Eucharist assures us of eternal life. NO ONE WHO COMES TO ME WILL I EVER REJECT. (Jn. 6:37) Because His Words and the Holy Eucharist do not condemn but give eternal life.

Deep within, human beings are hungry for God. The fundamental idea and theme reflected in the Gospel for the past two Sundays. The central theme of the discourse is that Jesus is the Bread of Life that satisfies hunger and quench the thirst. There is an innate hunger within, and nothing and no one can satisfy that hunger. Because we have many other cravings or hunger like food, affection, security, knowledge, acceptance, comfort, etc., we miss recognizing that our deepest hunger is God. Jesus reminds the people following Him that they should stop seeking food that perishes but for the food that leads to eternal life.

People are not ready for the truth about Jesus He is the bread that came down from heaven to give His flesh for the life of the World. The only way they can see this is through the eyes of faith. The Sacrament of Love is the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Without a prayerful and growing relationship with Jesus, the reception of the Eucharist becomes routine and meaningless. Communion with the body and blood of Christ increases the communicant’s union with the Lord. Since receiving this sacrament strengthens the bond of charity between the communicants and Christ, it also reinforces the unity of the Church in the mystical body of Christ. (CCC. 1416)

The Eucharist sustains and guides us in our journey to HOLINESS in this life and the next. Believe in the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus in the EUCHARIST, and truly taste and see the goodness of the LORD.