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“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the
desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from
heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread
that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live
forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of
the world.” John 6:48–51
We continue this Sunday with the beautiful “Bread of Life
Discourse” from John’s Gospel. At the beginning of today’s passage,
we read that the people listening to this discourse “murmured about
Jesus.” They did so because He had been teaching them that He was
the Bread of Life Who had come down from Heaven. For some of His
listeners, this was too much to accept. It was especially difficult
for those who knew Jesus and His family from Nazareth. When Jesus
became aware of their murmurs, He confronted them straight on
saying, “Stop murmuring among yourselves.” He then doubled down on
His teaching, taking it even further, telling them that whoever
eats His flesh will live forever.
In some ways, Jesus’ teaching could be said to defy human reason.
Imagine hearing this teaching for the first time from someone who
grew up in your hometown. Human reason alone is insufficient to
comprehend and accept such teaching. But that is precisely the
point. Human reason alone is insufficient. But when human reason is
endowed with a special revelation from the Father in Heaven, then
all becomes clear and all makes sense.
On that point, Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father
who sent me draw him” and that “Everyone who listens to my Father
and learns from him comes to me.” Therefore, even though it is
beyond the ability of natural human reason alone to make sense of
what Jesus was teaching, those who were drawn by the Father and
listened to His voice were given a new form of knowledge that
brought clarity to their human minds. This knowledge is essential
if we are to know and understand the path to eternal life and if we
are to understand and believe in the Most Holy Eucharist.
Sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that faith is just
believing in something that is beyond us. But faith is much more.
It’s not just blindly believing. It’s not just wishful thinking
that turns into a personal choice to believe. Faith is based on
something absolutely real and unmistakable. It’s based on true
spiritually revealed knowledge—a knowledge given to us by God. In
fact, this form of knowledge, given by God, is far more certain
than any other form of knowledge.
For example, you know that 2+2=4 because you can take two objects,
add two more, and then count four. Or you know that music is
playing because your ears perceive the sound. Thus, you rely upon
your senses to produce knowledge to arrive at conclusions.
Spiritually infused knowledge, however, is even more certain than
that which we can obtain through our senses because it is God Who
reveals the truth. Therefore, if God speaks to you and imparts to
you a knowledge that His flesh is true food and His blood is true
drink, and that if you eat His flesh and drink His blood then you
will obtain eternal life, then this knowledge is certain,
transforming, and becomes the basis of a life of pure faith. Though
this may seem overly philosophical, it is true and necessary to
understand.
Reflect, today, upon anything that you fail to have perfect faith
in. Do you believe in the Most Holy Eucharist? Do you believe that
it is the food for eternal life? Do you believe in everything Jesus
taught? Examine your faith and where it is lacking; seek the voice
of the Father. Only God can impart the deepest spiritual knowledge
to you. For your part, you must listen, comprehend, accept and
believe. Doing so will produce the gift of faith within your human
reason, and that faith will be your guide to the life of the
fullness of grace.
Lord, You have revealed to us the deepest mysteries of life. You
have revealed Your love and compassion, and You have revealed the
way to eternal life. Please give me the gift of faith so that I
will believe all that You have revealed. Please especially deepen
my faith in the Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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