Do Catholics eat Jesus?
Catechism Meditation:
Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever;… he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and… abides in me, and I in him”. ―No. 1406
REFLECTION. Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John is a theological masterpiece. It begins with the multiplication of loaves and fishes—a miracle that prepares the hearts of the listeners for a greater revelation—and culminates with the famous “Bread of Life Discourse.” The sequence is clear: Jesus feeds a multitude with five loaves and two fish (Jn 6:1–15). He walks on water to join His disciples (Jn 6:16–21). The crowd, amazed, follows Him, hoping for more signs and food. Then Jesus begins to speak not of temporary bread, but of eternal bread: Himself. As the discourse progresses, the teaching becomes more mysterious, more demanding, and more concrete. Jesus does not back down. He doesn’t soften His words. On the contrary, He repeats them with greater force.
The teaching of Jesus in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel is very clear: “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 up 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” (Jn 6:53-56).
Our Protestant friends speak often and correctly of the need for a personal relationship with the Lord. What more personal relationship is there than to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Jesus, than receiving Him with love and devotion? And, since the Eucharist takes place in the context of a community meal, we are also united with our brothers and sisters of the faith. To make the presence of Jesus only a “symbolic” one is, therefore, to strip the Eucharistic celebration of its true meaning. For there is no greater treasure on earth than a tabernacle. No greater daily miracle than a Mass. And no greater act of love than to receive with faith, devotion, and reverence the living God who gives Himself as food.
PRAYER. Lord, help me to come to a deeper belief and a fuller understanding of the gift you give us of Yourself in the Eucharist.
Timeless Wisdom Quote:
“He who later on called Himself ‘the Living Bread descended from Heaven’ was born in Bethlehem – which in Hebrew means ‘house of bread.’ And He was laid in a manger – a place of food – as if to show us that as we have bread for our bodies, so He would be the Bread of our souls.” ― Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen