With today’s Gospel we hear the conclusion of St. John’s sixth chapter, which we have been reflecting on for the last several weeks. While the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke give us an understanding of the institution of the Eucharist through their accounts of the Last Supper, John gives us the spiritual insight to truly understand the meaning of the Eucharist itself, presented in Jesus’ own words.
First, a quick recap. Our Sunday Gospel readings began 5 weeks ago with Jesus feeding over 5,000 people with a few simple barley loaves of bread and a couple of fish. They continued the next week with Jesus walking on water, joining his disciples in the boat as they battled a stormy sea in the night. Then, three weeks ago, John introduced Jesus’ “Bread of Life” Discourse. Last week, since we celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we missed the middle of the Jews’ confrontation with Jesus over his command to “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood”, but today, we hear the end of the exchange – resulting in many of Jesus’ disciples abandoning him.
Suppose you were alive at the time of Jesus, had seen many of his miraculous signs and heard his preaching. Then, all of a sudden you hear his insistence on having to “eat his flesh and drink his blood” in order to have eternal life. How would you react? Would you believe him? Would you understand what he meant?
In today’s Gospel, many didn’t understand nor believe. So why did the Apostles remain? Did they understand what Jesus was saying any better than any of the other disciples? I don’t think so.
So why didn’t they leave too? Simon Peter sums it up: “We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
According to a 2019 Pew research report that is often quoted by Catholics and non-Catholics alike, only 31% of Catholics believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Less than a third of all Catholics today believe in what the Church professes as the “source and summit” of our faith.
But there is a difference in believing and understanding.
The early Church Fathers had no problem believing in the Eucharist. St. Ignatius of Antioch, at the end of the 1st century, less than 100 years after Jesus’ resurrection, stated in a letter to the Romans, “I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the Bread of God, Which is the Flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I Desire His Blood, which is love incorruptible.”
St. Justin the Martyr, describing the Eucharist in his First Apology about the same time, said: “For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by Him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nourished, is both the flesh and the blood of that Incarnated Jesus.”
St. Irenaeus of Lyons just a few years later, stated in his letter Against Heresies: “For as the bread from the earth, receiving the invocation of God, is no longer common bread but the Eucharist, consisting of two elements, earthly and heavenly.”
These are but a few examples by those early founders of the Church – and each died a martyr’s death because of their belief. Their belief in Jesus Christ – and their belief in the Eucharist.
Does that mean that they understood the spiritual mechanics of Transubstantiation? I don’t know, but I doubt it. Frankly, I’m the first to admit that I certainly cannot understand the power of God. But I’ve personally experienced miracles that have defied explanations and I have seen the power of God in action, so I don’t have to understand how or why God does what He does – but I believe.
Now I’m a scientist and an engineer at heart and while I can peer into the depths of the universe and see God’s infinite power at work, I cannot explain the mechanics of some of His simplest creations. But I’m fond of using analogies to explain to myself things I cannot understand, and I use a simple one for the Eucharist. Once upon a time I worked in the uranium mines in New Mexico, and there really wasn’t a lot of difference between uranium ore and the surrounding rock which contained it, at least visually. You could tell if you had a Geiger counter, but otherwise, they looked the same. But, if you take a piece of radioactive ore and place it beside something that isn’t, pretty soon the non-radioactive piece would become radioactive. It wouldn’t change visually, but it has changed nevertheless.
The bread and wine may not look or taste different, but infused by the Holy Spirit called down by the priest, they have changed. It’s a poor analogy, to be sure, but it works for me.
So we can choose to believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, even if we don’t understand how it happens. And if we believe, then our actions should reflect that belief. But do they? Sadly, often they don’t.
I would like to say that I’m amazed at how some people approach the Eucharist in Communion, but I’m not. I’ve been there myself. I’m actually more amazed by the respect shown by some who come forward to receive than by those who don’t. You see it in their eyes. There is a joy – a grace – that shines on their face, and there’s a sense of reverence in their presence. I see Jesus reflected through them. I want that for me.
But it sometimes seems that as soon as I leave the building, I lose that – presence – of Christ in me. I can lose it once I get into my truck and have to wait for parking lot traffic to clear. I can lose it when I change the focus of my thoughts on what I think I need to do immediately after Mass. And, if I’m not serving on the altar, I can lose it in the short time it takes me to return to my pew.
It’s tough, isn’t it? But we should strive to remember that, if we choose to believe, then we should act like we believe. And maybe the easiest way to do that is to pretend that we are carrying Jesus on our shoulders after we have received him. (Actually, it isn’t pretending, except that instead of on our shoulders close to our heads, we have him inside us, close to our hearts.) And if the thought of Jesus sitting on your shoulders isn’t enough to help you focus on his presence, then talk to him about it. Say to him, “Jesus, help me to overcome whatever it is that is distracting me from you.”
One last comment on today’s readings. While there’s often a direct link between the 1st reading and the Gospel on most Sundays, today I think there’s an even greater link between the 2nd reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and today’s Gospel from St. John: they can both be hard to understand. But rather than try to explain what Paul was trying to say, I’m just going to refer you to a podcast by Fr. John Riccardo called “God’s Love Made Visible” – you can find it for free just by googling it. I encourage all married couples – and especially those planning on getting married – to listen to it. I’ve never heard this particular passage explained better. Ever.
And remember. When you come forward for Communion, you are coming forward to place Jesus next to your heart and to take him into the world with you. You don’t have to understand Transubstantiation to be a good Catholic. You only have to have faith – and believe.
