Transcript
The Eucharist is life-giving. An invitation. Encouraging. Transformative. Miraculous. We are People of the Eucharist.
What are you hungry for? We're all hungry for something. Figuring out what we're really hungry for is one of the great spiritual quests of life. A few years ago, I wrote a book titled: Difficult Teachings. The subtitle was, "The 40 Most Challenging Teachings of Jesus." Jesus didn't promise an easy life, but for 2,000 years, people have been trying to combine Christianity with an easy life. It isn't possible. They're incompatible. And not only did Jesus not promise us an easy life, He promised us the opposite. When I reflect on these 40 teachings today, I realize they are the teachings Christians have been avoiding since the very beginning. When Jesus was walking the dusty roads along the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, his listeners struggled to understand and embrace some of his teachings more than others, but none more than the difficult teaching we're about to explore. More than any other teaching, it was the one that his followers and critics alike struggled to get their hearts and minds around. Nothing has changed since then in this regard. This teaching has been a source of controversy and division since the very beginning. In John's gospel, Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." This is a central moment in Jesus' public life.
There were two moments when the people really struggled to understand what Jesus was saying. When Jesus explained that if they tore down the temple, he would rebuild it in three days, and what he is saying here about being the bread of life. There are three other verses in this discourse that I'd like to explore with you briefly, but it's worth reflecting on this whole section of John's gospel, which is the sixth chapter of John. It is rich with meaning and foreshadows not only the rest of Jesus' life, but also the life of the Catholic Church ever since. How did the people respond? They had three reactions. Here's the first." The people then disputed among themselves saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'" We make so many assumptions and we believe our assumptions. But in truth, in most situations, we should question, challenge, and test our assumptions, because the wrong assumptions make it impossible to reach valid conclusions. It's subtle, but do you see the assumption in the verse I just read? I'll share it again. "The people then disputed among themselves saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'" Did you catch it? How can this man give us his flesh to eat? They're operating under the assumption that Jesus is just a man. And that assumption makes it impossible for for them to understand what Jesus is saying. Never mind, believe it. If a homeless person tells you he's going to give you a letter of recommendation and a full scholarship to Harvard, you would naturally be skeptical and dismissive. That's the kind of situation that is playing out in this part of the gospel. The people won't accept who Jesus really is, and so, they're incapable of comprehending all that He can do for them. Then we move on to their second reaction. And this reaction is especially relevant today, given all that is transpiring in our culture.
Many of His disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?" Notice they didn't say, "Oh, we don't understand," or, "Oh, we don't want to live this teaching." Or, "Can you explain that a little bit more?" They didn't even want to listen to it. They didn't even want to hear it. This is the attitude of today's culture, and not only in relation to matters of faith. The poverty of mind and spirit has descended so low that this is now the attitude of the culture toward objective truths and scientific and biological realities. For thousands of years, a person who refused to acknowledge reality was considered a denialist and mentally ill. Today, you can deny reality and be celebrated as enlightened. Is that not a sign that our culture itself is very sick indeed? The people's third reaction to Jesus' Bread of Life Discourse was to abandon Jesus. This is what happened. After this, many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. From the very beginning, the Eucharist has been a lightning rod, a point of contention and division.
Regardless of what we have thought before or believed now, let us ask the Lord to open our hearts, minds, and souls to a deeper understanding of the Eucharist today, and with each passing day for the rest of our lives. Notice that Jesus didn't say, "Oh, come back, guys. I was only kidding. Let's talk about it. Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps we can change this teaching. We can work something out. Come on, just come on back." No. He turned to his disciples just as he turned to you and me today, and he said, "Do you also wish to leave me? Will you flee from Jesus? Or will you remain by his side? We're all hungry for something. Figuring out what we are really hungry for is one of the great spiritual quests of this life. Our spiritual hunger can be perfectly and completely fulfilled. In John's Gospel, Jesus speaks these words: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." In the 2,000 years since Jesus spoke these words, they have not lost an ounce of relevance or power. Let me say them again. I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger. And he who believes in me shall never thirst. Do you feel your soul stirring? That's because these words reveal a life-changing truth. God wants to feed your soul. He wants to feed you perfectly with Himself. This is the beauty and the power of the Eucharist. So let me ask you a question. What are you hungry for right now? What is God saying to you through your hunger? How is He using that hunger to lead you to Him? Whether you're hungry for a greater purpose in life, a more fulfilling relationship, more meaningful work, rest, clarity, inspiration, joy, hope, peace. You won't be satisfied by the shallow things of this world. Jesus is waiting in the Eucharist to give you exactly what you need. It's time to begin truly paying attention to the hunger in your soul. You can try to ignore it or deny it or pretend it isn't there, but it will never simply disappear. It is an invitation from God, and He will never cease trying to draw you to Himself. The hunger in your soul is a good thing. Follow it where it leads. Trust, surrender, believe, receive. Who do you know who would still be Catholic if they believed in the true presence? What would you be willing to do to save other people from that? Become a member of the International Society of the Eucharist today, and we'll send you a free copy of 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory, a copy of the children's version, a copy of the limited-edition Journal, which includes an amazing Holy Week retreat. Click the button below, learn more, and join now. Have a great day. And remember, be bold, be Catholic. We are people of the Eucharist. Jesus--
I believe
That you are truly present
In the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist.
Every day, I long
For more of you.
I love you above all things.
And I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot receive you sacramentally at this moment
I invite you to come and dwell in my heart.
May this spiritual communion increase my desire
For the Eucharist.
You are the healer of my soul.
Take the blindness from my eyes
The deafness from my ears
The darkness from my mind
And the hardness from my heart.
Fill me with the grace, wisdom, and courage
To do your will in all things.
My Lord and my God
Draw me close to you
Nearer than ever before.
Amen.
Consecrate America to the Eucharist.
Bye-bye.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Have a great day. Come on.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Hey, Isabel. One simple way to be mindful of God's presence in the world is to know where the nearest tabernacle is. So while we've got a couple of minutes, I thought we might work on your geography a little.
Sounds good, Dad. You're always coming up with something.
What about if I was at latitude of 37.78 and a longitude of negative 79.93, where would the nearest tabernacle be then?
John the Baptist, Charleston, South Carolina