THE BREAD OF LIFE

To understand why the Church so firmly teaches that the Eucharist truly is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, it would help if you read the 6th Chapter of Saint John’s Gospel: the Bread of Life Discourse. It should sound very familiar, for back in 1966, Sr. Suzanne Toolan, RSM, enshrined that chapter in a beloved hymn we still sing: “I Am the Bread of Life.” As it unfolds, it becomes clear that Christ’s teaching about his own Real Presence in what became the Eucharist shocked many – and even drove some away! Jesus even asked His Apostles if they also wanted to leave! That is why the Catholic Church INSISTS that the Eucharist is Christ’s Real Presence! For after Jesus proclaimed that the Consecrated Bread and Wine truly become His own Flesh and Blood, He then added a modern-age adage: “It’s MY way or the highway!” And just as He let the non-believers walk away and not partake in the Eucharist, so, too, does Holy Mother Church. She does not and cannot offer a blanket invite to all to join in the Eucharistic Banquet. Those who wish to receive MUST first accept that it truly IS Christ’s Real Presence, not simply a symbol or remembrance of Him! To be continued …

Father Maria Joseph Kodiganti