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20thSunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Terranova Hermitage
August 19, 2018
Jesus’ Presence in Bread, Wine, and Us
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Second-Graders
In every parish, when we prepare the second-graders for First Communion, we are careful in the way we teach them.
What I mean is that today Jesus speaks of our “eating his flesh and drinking his blood.” These words can at first be startling and confusing to children.
So, we are clear with the children that the bread still looks and tastes like a thin wafer of bread. And the wine still looks and tastes like real wine.
The People in the Gospel
Well, many of the people who listen to Jesus’ words in today’s gospel are startled and confused, something like children could be today.
The people almost naturally ask, “How can this be? How can [Jesus say that] ‘Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life?”
Well, if we dig into the passage and put it in context, we can see what Jesus really means. I see three beautiful lessons here.
Lesson 1: The Person of Jesus Is Present
The first is that Jesus, as a person, is present here.
When he says these words about the bread and wine being his body and blood, this is what it all comes down to. This is what sacrament means and what this sacrament is about.
We believe that these ordinary things – bread and wine – we believe that these are symbols but not just symbols. They actually make Jesus present to us.
We can use all kinds of theology to try to explain this. We can use the traditional theory of transubstantiation and say that the substance of bread and wine actually becomes the substance of Jesus’ body and blood.
We can say all of this, but what it still comes down to is: Jesus, the person, is present here. This is what we mean when we talk about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Lesson 2: Jesus Gives Us God’s Life
The second lesson is that through Jesus, we have God’s life.
Jesus says: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” And again, “The Father sent me and I have life because of the Father.”
I would bet that these words are also a reason why some of the people in today’s gospel just pack up and leave. It is too much for them to believe that Jesus comes directly from the Father and has God’s own life.
But, this is exactly what Jesus is saying. And he is also saying that through this food, the bread and wine, his body and blood, we also now have God’s life within us.
That is why we call this Communion, Holy Communion, a communion of life with the Holy One. This is one of the most wonderful, profound and comforting parts of our faith.
Lesson 3: Jesus Gives Both Body and Blood
And the third lesson is that Jesus gives us both his body and his blood.
In truth, it would have been enough for Jesus to give us just his body. But he gives us his blood separately.
And the reason for this is that Jesus gives us himself as having poured out his blood for us on the cross. And in giving himself to us in this way, he is defining how the divine life is to affect us.
Like him, we are now to give of ourselves for one another. We are to pour out our energy and life not just for ourselves, but also for others.
Today, I have to see this in relation to the Grand Jury report in Pennsylvania that came out this week. Right now, our institutional Church and those of us who lead it need to pour out our empathy for those who have been victims of abuse over the years.
We need to pour out our love directly in care for these persons. And we need to pour out our love indirectly by repenting and assuring that the system and culture of the Church would always protect the vulnerable.
This pouring out of love is what the Eucharist calls us to do. The people who listen to Jesus in today’s gospel probably sense that he means this and this was probably also a reason why some of them packed up and left.
We know that it is part of what the Eucharist is all about. And we have to allow this sacrament to empower us to do that pouring out.
Conclusion
So, a packed passage of Scripture today!
Some beautiful, powerful, core messages about the Sacrament that is at the very heart of our faith!
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