His Word Today: Eat in order to have life

The Last Supper
Oil on canvas by Joos van Cleve (1485-1540)

Good morning everyone,

Today's reflection is based on food - divine food.  When Jesus explained the importance of nourishing our hearts and souls on this divine food, it was a difficult concept for people to grasp.  Even today, it is still something that is not easy to understand.  Receiving the Eucharist is an act of faith, not primarily an act of reason.  Because it is an act of faith, the Eucharist is not easily understood by the reasoning of the world.

Jesus did not explain what the Eucharist would look like, or what it would taste like; rather he spoke about what it truly is: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of His blood, you do not have life within you (Jn 6:53).  In fact, the Eucharist has been referred to as the unbloody sacrifice of Christ, referring to the fact that during the Mass, we do not gaze upon the bloody body of Jesus as it was seen on Calvary, but rather on the body and blood of Jesus under the appearance of bread and wine.

Each time that we celebrate the Mass, Jesus offers us his unbloody sacrifice - his body and blood under the appearance of bread and wine - in order to nourish our hearts and souls and to strengthen and enliven our faith.  Pray today for the ability to see the world as Jesus sees it, and for the courage to respond in faith to the needs of our brothers and sisters, especially those who are in need.

Have a great day.