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“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of
Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever
eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will
raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood
is true drink.” John 6:53–55
Human reason and free will are the most precious natural gifts God
gave us. They are what separate us from every other animal. Human
reason enables us to think critically, understand concepts, and
arrive at conclusions. Central to our human reason is our free
will, which enables us to act upon the conclusions we reach or to
reject them, choosing instead to follow our disordered appetites
and misguided desires. Though human reason was wounded by Original
Sin, it was not completely destroyed. We must diligently strive to
act rationally and in accord with our common sense, adhering to the
natural law that God has written on our souls. However, even though
a rational approach to natural law will bring us a long way toward
right living, it is not sufficient to lead us into the deeper
truths of eternal salvation, promised to us in Jesus’ discourse on
the Bread of Life, on which we have been reflecting.
By natural reason alone, the Eucharist makes no sense. How could
that which appears to be a piece of bread be the “Flesh of the Son
of Man” and a cup that appears to be wine be His Blood? Yet when we
incorporate divine revelation into our reasoning, the Eucharist as
the Flesh and Blood of Jesus, the Son of God, makes perfect sense:
“...my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink.” The
Eucharist makes sense, but only when we listen with faith to the
revelation Jesus gave to us. Today’s Gospel provides the clearest
teaching we have ever received on this Precious Gift.
Today’s Gospel begins by relating that “The Jews quarreled among
themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?’”
(John 6:52). They were quarreling because they were not opening
their human reason to the light of Jesus’ revealed truth. In this
exchange, the Eternal and Incarnate Son of God was speaking a
divine truth to them. Jesus spoke clearly and plainly, but their
minds remained closed. They heard His words, but they closed
themselves off to the Father’s Voice, which testified on Jesus’
behalf that all He said was true. It seems that some who listened
began to understand and believe, prompting the quarrel among
them.
When you read our Lord’s words, what do you hear? Do you hear the
Father’s Voice in the depths of your conscience, confirming the
truthfulness of what you read? Do you hear the Living Word of God
echoing within your mind and soul? Do you allow that Word to inform
your human reason so that you can conclude that the Eucharist is
real, that it is the Flesh and Blood of the Son of God, offered to
you so that you can share in eternal life? No amount of human study
or intelligence alone will ever convince us of divine truths. God
alone can convince us, but only if we listen to His Voice.
Truths of faith, such as our belief in the Eucharist, must be more
certain than any other natural truth we believe. No rational person
would deny the reality of the physical world we see with our eyes
or touch with our hands. The noises we hear, the food we taste, and
the aroma we smell are all judged as real because we believe what
our five senses perceive. When our consciences perceive divine
truths, those truths are more certain than all sensory knowledge.
Why? Because God is the one directly communicating to
us.
Reflect today on Jesus’ crystal-clear teaching on the Eucharist. We
must hear and understand what He said. Our faith in the Eucharist
must become certain. Allow the Father’s Voice to resonate within
your mind so that you are more certain that the Eucharist is the
Flesh and Blood of the Son of God than anything else you believe.
Strengthen your faith, knowing that His Flesh and Blood bring you
to eternal life.
My Eucharistic Lord, I believe that You gave Your life for the
salvation of all and that the gift of eternal salvation is given to
us through the Sacraments. I believe that the Eucharist is Your
Flesh and Blood, Your Divine Essence. Please strengthen my faith so
that I am more open to the abundant grace You wish to bestow
through this Precious Gift. Jesus, I trust in You.
Image: The Feeding the Multitude by S. G. Rudl.
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