The Eucharist Gives Eternal Life To All Who Believe

Our readings this week, like those of the past few weekends, focuses on the holy Eucharist. If I’m not mistaken, this is either the third of fourth consecutive weekend where the gospel readings are very Eucharistic based. To the Holy Roman Catholic Church, the Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. Maybe that is precisely why the Church has been so reminding us of the Eucharist at a time when many Catholics fail to see the Eucharist as important; at a time where for many Catholics the world over, almost anything is more important than going to Mass and worthily receiving the Holy Eucharist.

Just a quick note on that; the Eucharist is not a fashion statement. It is a priceless gift from God, and you should only partake of the Eucharist if you are in a state of grace. The Bible clearly reminds us in 1 Corinthians 11: 25 – 29

For the tradition I received from the Lord and also handed on to you is that on the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and after he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’

And in the same way, with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’

Whenever you eat this bread, then, and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes. Therefore anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone is to examine himself and only then eat of the bread or drink from the cup; because a person who eats and drinks without recognising the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation.

If, therefore, you are in a state of serious sin, you should first go to confession and renounce your ways before going to receive the Holy Eucharist.

In the first reading from the book of Kings, we see the prophet Elijah being worn out to the point of wanting death to come over him. So he lay down and fell asleep, but an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. There at his head was a scone and a jug of water. So he ate and lay down again, but the angel came back a second time, ordering him to get up and eat else the journey would be too much for him. So Elijah got up, he ate and he drank and was strengthened by the food for the journey, and walked for forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God.

This is what the Eucharist does; it strengthens our souls for the spiritual journey to eternal life, where we shall see the face of God.

In the Gospel, the Jews were murmuring because Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from Heaven.” They murmured because Jesus said, “I have come down from Heaven.” Putting ourselves in their place and in their time, it is understandable why they were confused and muttering about what Jesus said. But two thousand years plus have gone. Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, conquering hell, sin and death. Yet many – including Catholics – are still murmuring about Jesus being “really present” in the Holy Eucharist. Many still murmur, “But how can he give us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink?” Many have not grown in faith from the people who existed more than two thousand years ago, in Jesus’ times.

In knowing what they were thinking, Jesus had a discourse with them, and he said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, who ever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate 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.”

A very powerful and profound statement made here by Jesus. “Whoever believes has eternal life.” Why is this so some may wonder? Our lives, the way we live, the things we consider important, are all powered by what we believe. Unfortunately, many believe that there is no heaven and no hell, and we see the devastating effects of that belief all around us, in our world.

If on the other hand, we truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God; If we truly believed that Jesus, the Son of God, became man and that He suffered and died for us, and He rose again from the dead, conquering sin, and death for our sakes; if we believe that Jesus is indeed present – body, blood, soul and divinity – in the Holy Eucharist; if we believe that He left His Holy Spirit to be with us to be our guide till the end of time; if we believe that he left Holy Mother Church – the Holy Roman Catholic Church – to be our guide; if we believe in the incredible, boundless and faithful love that God has for us who are totally undeserving of this love, then we all would live our lives much differently. Our lives would be transformed from glory to glory and we will have eternal life.

May the grace of God remove the veils from our eyes that prevent us from believing in the power of God’s love, in the power of the Eucharist. May that grace open our eyes of faith to believing that Jesus is the Living Bread that has come down from Heaven so that anyone who believes in him and eats of this bread will have eternal life.