Eat, drink, abide

Over the past few weeks, we have heard Jesus describing himself as the bread of life.  Jesus was well aware of the central part that bread played in his disciples’ diet ... and in the cuisine of the Jewish people.  He wanted to use this figure to explain the importance of developing a relationship between each one of us and our loving God who provides for all our needs.

Today, we hear Jesus saying to his disciples: I am the living bread that came down from heaven (Jn 6:51).  In the same way as bread nourishes our bodies, the relationship of trust that we enjoy with our God nourishes our souls.  The Church has always taught that when we receive the Eucharist, it is Jesus himself that we receive.  The more frequently we eat of the bread of life, the more our relationship with Jesus will be strengthened, and the more our relationship is strengthened, the easier we will find it to tell others that the reason for our joy is the faith that we have in Him.

Jesus also encouraged his disciples to drink of his blood (Jn 6:53).  Jewish people are all familiar with the rituals that surround the Sabbath meal, and they all know the details about the celebration of the Seder.  It was in the context of a Seder meal that Jesus gave us the bread of life and told us to drink of his blood, but here again, we need to understand the importance of receiving this gift from the Lord.  In the times of the early Church, Christians would gather to celebrate the Eucharist and they would consume both the body of Christ and the blood of Christ in accordance with his command.  In the same way, when Christian communities gather for the celebration of the Eucharist today, bread is blessed and broken and wine that has been consecrated is consumed.  As we receive these gifts, we should ask God to strengthen his life within us so that we will be aware of his presence coursing through our veins.

Strengthened by this food from heaven, we go out into the world to share the experience of our faith with others.  Saint Paul reminds us to be careful about how we live, in order to make sure that we are not perceived as unwise people but rather as wise, making the most of the time we have been given (cf Eph 5:15-16).

Let us receive the gifts that are offered at the Lord’s table today, and let us ask our loving God to strengthen our awareness of His presence in our lives so that we may truly abide in Him this week, using our words and actions to show others the wisdom of our heavenly Father at work within us.