The crowd ate the food that Jesus multiplied for them from the several loaves of bread and the two fish that a boy in the crowd had with him. The crowd ate the food until they were satisfied. Through this miracle, the crowd saw Jesus as a true prophet in their midst. Yet, many in the crowd still had doubts and questions. This is a common theme in the Gospels. The people see a sign, they believe and they grow in their faith, but then their doubts return. For five weeks in a row, we will hear from the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel, which we started to hear last Sunday. In their curiosity, the crowds follow Jesus throughout the countryside, asking: Who is this man Jesus and what is he all about? Will he satisfy their earthly needs, symbolized in the miracle of the loaves and the fish? Or will there be more than this? Can he satisfy their search for meaning, their search for fulfillment, their search for faith?
The 6th Chapter of John’s Gospel is called the bread of life discourse. As Catholics, a lot of what we believe in the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Christ is addressed in this Gospel discourse. Jesus announces to us today: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger. Whoever believes in me will never thirst.” As we gather as a community of faith for the Eucharist at our Masses this weekend at St Jude, we receive the bread of life that sustains us on our journey. In the Gospel today, the crowds ask for more signs in their desire to see and believe. We, too, as disciples of Christ, hunger and thirst just like the crowds in the Gospel. Through our eyes of faith, we are able to see that what we partake of is not just normal bread and normal wine, but rather the body and blood of Christ. Thus, the Eucharist is an important sign for us: a sign of Christ’s true presence with us. As Thomas Aquinas states in his Summa Theologiae - “It is the law of friendship that friends should live together….Christ has not left us without his bodily presence in this our pilgrimage, but he joins us to himself in this sacrament in the reality of his body and blood.”
When the crowds ask Jesus how they are to accomplish the works of God, he tells them that they are to believe in the son that God sent. However, it does not end there. There is to be a connection between the Mass we celebrate together, the Eucharist we receive, and the way we live out our lives of faith. Pope Francis, in his writings about the Eucharist, states that the Eucharist is an act of Christ because it is Christ. Christ makes himself present to us, nourishing us with his word and his life. The mission and identity of all Catholics, the mission and the identity of the Church, must flow from the Eucharist. Pope Francis goes on to say: our Eucharistic celebrations may be flawless and beautiful on the exterior, but they must always lead us to an encounter with Christ. Without such an encounter with our Lord and Savior in the Eucharist, our hearts and our lives will not be nourished by him. Pope Francis states, “Through the Eucharist, Christ wishes to enter into our life and permeate it with his grace, so that in every Christian community (and in every Christian soul) there may be coherence between liturgy and life.”
As I look at my schedule these past several months, most weeks, I have celebrated 10 to 16 Masses a week, writing 6 or 7 or 8 or more homilies or reflections a week as well. Believe me, some weeks, that is not easy at all, with all else I do as Vicar General and as pastor of St Jude. But I can honestly say that celebrating the Mass is not a drudgery for me nor is it just an obligation I must fulfill. For me, Mass is always an encounter with Christ. It is always a holy time where we gather together as the people of God, as the Body of Christ. It is always an act of faith for me. Celebrating Mass even when I am tired or when I don’t feel well is a joy and a privilege. Without the Eucharist, I could not be a priest. And all of us should feel the same way: without the Eucharist, how would we be Catholic?
Another thing we need to ask ourselves: How is the Eucharist influencing the way we look at life and the way we live our lives? Here is a series of questions Pope Francis proposes we ask ourselves:
1. Does the Eucharist increase my capacity to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and cry with those who are crying?
2. Does the Eucharist urge me reach out to the poor, the marginalized, and the sick?
3. Does the Eucharist help me recognize the face of Christ in others?
4. Does the Eucharist help me love my brothers and sisters who are most in need? How do I love them in the reality of my life?
5. Does the Eucharist help me reach out to those who are in difficulty in life, or am I indifferent to them?
6. Does the Eucharist motivate me to become involved in my parish, to reach out to my fellow parishioners, to learn, grow, and journey with them in faith?
7. Does the Eucharist motivate me to forgive those who have wronged me, to give hope to the disheartened, to give a welcome to those who feel excluded?
As we hear Jesus tell us that he is the bread of life, we are called to ask ourselves how we see the Eucharist moving us to transformation and renewal. But, we are called to do more than to pause and reflect. The Eucharist needs to truly transform us and convert us. As St Frances de Sales: “When you have received (Christ in the Eucharist), stir up your hearts to do him homage; speak to him about your spiritual life; gaze upon him in your soul where he is present for your happiness; welcome him as warmly as possible; and behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of his presence.”
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