Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - The Real Presence of Jesus Christ

Today’s gospel is one of the most “Catholic” passages in the bible. It is a common bond but it can also cause division. The message of today’s gospel is complex and it produced serious problems for followers of Jesus; problems that still exist today.

If you remember from last week’s gospel, “the bread that came down from heaven” was teaching; and the way we consume that bread is by learning and believing. This Sunday, the focus is on the heavenly bread which Jesus identifies as his own flesh; a bread that is consumed by eating. So, this week, we move from nourishment from Word to nourishment from Eucharist.

These are the essentials of the Catholic Mass, the Word and the Bread. The revealing word of last week’s gospel and the sacramental bread of this week’s gospel are celebrated in the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist at each Mass.

But, do we really believe that the words I just proclaimed from the gospel are the living words of God directed to each of us, personally? And do we believe that the Eucharist we are about to receive is really the body and blood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ? That is the complex part, the part that is so hard to understand! Or, are we like those followers of Jesus who murmured and said “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”

Jesus states clearly that the bread one must eat “IS MY FLESH”. When these words were met with shock from those present, he did not back away, or try again with toned down language. Instead, he rephrased it from a negative perspective: ”Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you”. Then, lest he be misunderstood, he repeated it from a positive perspective: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life”.

He repeats it still another time: “For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink”. Then he ties this Eucharistic act to his incarnation: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them”.

There was no way the listeners on that day were wrong in understanding these teachings in a literal way. The repetition makes it only too clear that Jesus indeed meant what he said, over and over. His clear teaching left His hearers with two choices: accept or reject. No middle way is possible. And when some of his own beloved people rejected Him, Christ did not change His teaching or water it down; with sadness He watched them leave. He made them free out of love, and out of love He preserved their freedom to reject Him and the invitation to their salvation.

The murmuring ones of the Gospel who rebelled against the teaching on the Eucharist that day are still with us. There are many who murmur today in protests, who quarrel among themselves and who dispute against Christ and the truth He teaches. Christ, present in His Church, is attacked by the murmuring of those who have declared themselves the authority to decide what is true and false; what is right and wrong.

The mystery which has been at the heart of our Catholic tradition for two millennia comes to full light in this passage. The Eucharist defines who we are: those intimately connected to Jesus because we share in his very body and blood. And, like Christ, the Church does not back away from professing belief and devotion to this Real Presence.

From the beginning of time, man has sought in vain, through power, possessions, and prestige to satisfy his yearnings. But, this search is driven by a hunger in the heart and mind of man that cannot be satisfied by earthly bread. Jesus Christ alone possesses the power to fill this emptiness in man.

I see people search for meaning and joy in their lives in many different ways and many different places. Some seek knowledge, some seek power, some seek prestige, some seek beauty, and some seek wealth. Some look within their place of employment, some within their social contacts, and some within their families and friends. They look outside themselves, into the created world for “happiness” and “fulfillment”. It takes many a long time to find that true happiness, true peace just does not exist there.

So where is it? It is within you, not outside you! It is in service to others, not in being served. It is spiritual, not physical! It is God centered, not me centered. Love, grace, peace, and freedom from anxiety are found within you and they are fed and nourished by God, himself, not by things of this world. That nourishment comes from His Word and His body and blood in Eucharist.

Christ himself is the food for which man has always yearned. Our relationship with the Lord will fall short, and our happiness will remain incomplete as long as we fail to grasp the reality of the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Eucharist is the very Presence of God here, on earth, with and among us.

We need the strength of the Eucharist to help us since we cannot reach our supernatural destination by our own strength or ingenuity. Some of us struggle when we fail to see much change in our lives after receiving the Eucharist. If the Eucharist is Jesus and Jesus is God, why do we not see much effect in our lives after receiving Holy Communion?

The fault is not with Jesus, it is with us! Perhaps we need to go to prayer and ask if there is something in our lives that is blocking access of the Holy Spirit to our hearts. Maybe we are blocking His ability to work in our lives. That may be why we will find ourselves walking out of Mass essentially unchanged. Remember, God will never force himself upon us.

If we fail to accept the word of God and fail to live according to his word, we block the graces of the Holy Spirit and reduce our ability to cooperate with Him. In the second reading last week, we were told the ways we may block the Holy Spirit. These included bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, reviling, and malice. Instead of these behaviors, we should exhibit kindness to one another; we should be compassionate and mutually forgiving.

Perhaps our problem has to do with opening our hearts to the Lord in Communion. Do we come to the Lord frequently in the tabernacle or in adoration to pray? Open your heart to the Lord, do nothing that would block the Holy Spirit, and then watch the Holy Spirit change your life.

Last week we were told that God nourishes us with His word! The Church invites us to engage in daily reading of sacred scripture or participate in bible study. This week we are told that God nourishes us in Eucharist! The Church invites us to regularly receive the Eucharist for nourishment, and to do so with the full knowledge that it is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ that is in our hands, on our tongues. The Church knows what faith needs and so she offers over and over invitations to experience the life-giving nourishment that is Jesus.

Each of us should examine our faith lives and ensure that we are giving ourselves the nourishment we need. Nourishment via both His Word and Eucharist is necessary for our spiritual growth, and for our true joy and happiness in this world, and the next.