Gospel
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
Jesus said to the crowd:
‘I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,
for the life of the world.’
Then the Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they said. Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you will not have life in you.
Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood
has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is real food
and my blood is real drink.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me
and I live in him.
As I, who am sent by the living Father,
myself draw life from the Father,
so whoever eats me will draw life from me.
This is the bread come down from heaven;
not like the bread our ancestors ate:
they are dead,
but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.’’
(John 6:51–58)
Did you know?
Points of interest and Catholic lore
- Gathering together to break bread and share the cup is the most ancient practice of the Church. Paul wrote a description of ‘The Lord’s Supper’ in I Corinthians 11:23 in about the year 56.
- This feast, which used to be known as ‘Corpus Christi’, originated in the Middle Ages as a celebration of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic bread.
- In John’s Gospel, there is no narrative of the institution of the Eucharist. Rather, with the sharing of the loaves and fishes, combined with this Bread of Life discourse, John elaborates in a much deeper way the significance of the Eucharist.
Exploring the Word
This passage comes after Jesus has fed the multitudes with five barley loaves and two fish, but in his explanation of this sign, Jesus refers to himself as ‘living bread’, ‘bread from heaven’ that gives eternal life. The ancestors who followed Moses out of Egypt had been sent manna from heaven to nourish them in the desert, but they had still died. The food that Jesus offers—himself—will lead to eternal life!
As is typical in John’s Gospel, this text can be read on two levels. The words spoken by Jesus would have been shocking to those who heard them. For the Jewish people, to eat flesh and drink blood was unthinkable; it was abhorrent. Jewish dietary laws forbade the eating of flesh with its blood in it. Blood was the symbol of the life of the creature. At the end of the flood story in Genesis, God gives to humans all the plants and animals of the earth as food for them, ‘with this exception: you must not eat flesh with life, that is to say blood, in it’ (Genesis 9:4). Now here is Jesus saying that his followers must eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have life. In the continuation of this gospel passage, many turn away from Jesus at hearing him say this. Jesus then asks the disciples if they too will leave him. Peter answers on their behalf with a wonderful acclamation of faith: ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’
The giving of Jesus’ flesh and blood for the life of the world is a reference to the salvific nature of his death and the inauguration of a new covenant through his sacrifice. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was not complete unless it was also eaten; the Eucharist is our participation in Calvary, where we truly consume the once-for-all sacrifice under the species of bread and wine. Under that veil, Christ is present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
Making Connections
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
- What significance does eating and drinking have in your life? Is it a pleasure, a chore, an addiction?
- Tell others about a significant meal you have shared. What made it special?
- What do you draw life from?
- What is it that sustains you on your journey and nourishes your search for faith?
- If you are able to gather with friends or family for a meal this week, make a special blessing of the food that you will share. Sustain and nourish others this week.
- Read the story in Luke’s Gospel of how the disciples recognised Jesus in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:13–35). Spend time thinking about your journey towards sharing in this meal.
- Recite the acclamation from the Eucharistic prayer each day:
When we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we proclaim your death, O Lord,
until you come again.
Sharing the Tradition
A closer look at the Scripture of the day, to see how it makes more explicit God’s word to us through the teachings of Jesus Christ
The Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Baptism confers the roles of priest, prophet and king on the faithful, and we are drawn more deeply into these roles at confirmation. In the Eucharist, we participate with the whole community in the sacrifice of Christ.
This raises interesting issues. If Christ gave his body and blood to save the world and bring life to all, what does it mean when we say ‘Amen’ to receiving that body and blood? John makes it clear that by receiving this nourishment, we become the body and blood of Christ in the world today, living with him and the Father. What are the implications of this? It means that we too must make an option for the poor of our world as Jesus did. How are we called to bring small glimpses of ‘salvation’ to others? How are we called to bring healing and fullness of life to others and to the world?
The Eucharist has four central actions, which echo the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper. There he ‘took’ the bread, ‘blessed’ it, ‘broke’ it and ‘shared’ it with his friends.
- The Second Vatican Council stated that the Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of the life of the Church. You might discuss what this means.
- You might also like to discuss what it has meant for the faithful to refrain from receiving the Eucharist if we have prepared sufficiently. Does a time of abstaining from the Eucharist give us a new appreciation of the significance of the Eucharist? Has it given us a greater hunger and thirst for Christ’s presence?
Symbols and Images
Bread is the ‘staff of life’—that which sustains us. Along with water, it is the most basic of staples: simple, nourishing, satisfying. But Jesus is offering more than ordinary bread. He is offering that which will not only sustain us in this life but will lead to eternal life.
Living the Word
Practical ideas for group leaders to employ in connecting Scripture and daily life, with suggestions for music and environment
- Discuss ways in which the celebration of the Eucharist is the central action of your parish community. What other actions spring from this central celebration? How does the Eucharist nourish other aspects of community life?
- A small loaf or roll of bread, ears of wheat, a cup of wine and bunch of grapes, along with a candle, would be an appropriate focus for prayer this week. Ask each sponsor and catechumen to pray for those who nourish them in their faith. A suitable song could be ‘Come to the feast’ (GA 400). Conclude with the prayer of exorcism in the RCIA at §94F.