Isn’t it difficult to have to prepare so much food? That was one of the thoughts that was always on my mind when my parents left me in charge to watch my brothers while they went away. Now, it wasn’t usually very long, perhaps one or two meals, but it seemed so cumbersome. By the time I would have finished preparing, serving, and then cleaning up one meal, it almost seemed as if it was time for the next one. This cycle was so fast that I was almost in awe as to how my mom had any time to do all of these things. It constantly repeated for her time and time again, day after day. The reality of needing to prepare food was always before her!
That experience is probably not too far removed from any one of us, really. We are constantly cycling around the clock and getting to the next meal- we eat, we are satisfied, and then we are ready to eat again. No matter how filling the meal was before, if we wait long enough, the satisfaction will go away, and we will find ourselves in another state of want. It seems like an endless cycle of repetitions that we will go through literally thousands upon thousands of times in our lifetime.
Yet, at the root of that is a certain hunger. We are searching for something that will satisfy, even if it means it will work for only a brief time. Food works wonders for that satisfaction, but when it comes to the deeper realities of life, where do we receive that satisfaction? Eventually all of our food and all of our beverages will cease to assist us, and we will find ourselves longing for more. Where do we turn in those moments when we hunger for more, and not just with our stomachs, but with our hearts, and our souls, and perhaps even our spirits? Is there a food that will satisfy, and not just at one time, but perhaps even forever?
In the times of Moses, in the book of Deuteronomy, they might have thought that they had an answer. In the context of our first reading this evening\morning, we are given a glimpse at what may have seemed to satisfy. In the course of this reading, Moses is reminding the people of the works of the Lord their God. He tells them how they have been directed by Him in their journeying in the desert, and has tested them. Further, during this testing, he had afflicted them with hunger, and then he fed them with manna- a new food that was unknown to those of their heritage, and yet, they were given this food. What was so miraculous was that this food literally came from heaven- and formed as the morning dew dried on the ground.
Yet, that wasn’t enough to feed them. Even as that journey continued, there was waterless ground, and eventually the people became quite parched. So, they called out to the Lord in their need, and eventually, they received what they desired. There was water brought forward from the flint rock, and they were fed in the desert continuously, as they had needed that sustenance. Yet, even in these things, there was still a fundamental flaw- they left hem looking for more, and they eventually needed to be satisfied yet again.
If we move to Saint Paul and his Letter to the Corinthians, we are reminded about a cup and a bread. When Paul is speaking, he is asking some very simple questions. The cup of blessing- is it not the Blood of Christ. The bread we break- is it not the Body of Christ? He asks these questions because he wants them to realize something in that church in Corinth. They are dealing with substances that look very ordinary. Perhaps in some ways they may have looked like the foods that they were used to in a very ordinary way as they had them every day. And yet, there is recognition- there is something more at play. Even in our own day and age, if we are to eat ordinary bread or to drink ordinary wine, we are going to find ourselves satisfied for a time. Yet, after some time has elapsed, we may find ourselves hungering and thirsting yet again. So, he is using some very basic level vocabulary here- but he is saying something that is altogether more profound than just ordinary bread and ordinary wine. What does it mean when He comes to these things? Ordinary bread and ordinary wine do not satisfy, at least not for long.
So we can move on to the Gospel, where we hear the Bread of Life discourse from John six. Jesus is speaking to His disciples and He is speaking to them very plainly- I am the living bread- whoever eats this bread will live forever. The bread I give is my flesh for the life of the world. Stop and think on how that must have sounded to the disciples at the time. He will give us Himself? He will give us His flesh? What does this mean? We can hear the conflict erupting in the next line as we hear how the Jews start to quarrel and ask themselves how this “man will give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus presses on- “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever etas my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life- and I will raise him on the last day. Could this perhaps be the bread that satisfies forever? Could this be the wine that will quench our thirst for all of time?
That, in fact, is what we celebrate today, my brothers and sisters. We do not celebrate ordinary food. We do not celebrate two particular forms of ordinary food. We celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ Himself, God who dwelled with us in flesh, has come to us but under the appearances of ordinary food. He has come to us in these humble appearances so as to make it more approachable to each of us. We need not fear nor become afraid of these things- because if we truly knew what we were consuming we would perhaps be filled with every sort of fear. Yet, Jesus makes Himself approachable and wants us to feed on Him- but not in a way where we wouldn’t understand but in a way that we would. We hunger, we thirst, and we seek to be satisfied.
Yet, this is where the Eucharist is altogether different. While we might see the humble elements of bread and wine, we know that they have undergone substantial change, and in being consecrated, they no longer remain simple elements of bread and wine, but they become the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though the appearance may be rather humble and plain, we nonetheless receive these gifts of His Body and Blood underneath the appearance of something very much more humble.
The thing that we should realize though is that this is not something we do symbolically for no reason in particular. We receive these things because we have a need for life. As much as regular food gives us life and nourishment, we are always seeking for more, especially with our souls and with the grace and blessings we need. We are certainly on a journey in this life- and yet, we are not on a journey that takes ordinary food. We need Jesus Christ each and every step of the way. That is why He comes to us in the Eucharist. That is why for thousands of years, saints have simply lived for the Mass- and their chance meeting with the Eucharist each and every time that they received these simple appearing elements. No other food will ever accomplish what the Eucharist can do.
As we celebrate this gift to us, as God has given us His Son, and as we receive what Jesus gives us in His Body and His Blood, we should be filled with joy, because this is the only food that truly satisfies. This is the only food that will give us life, and not just in this life, but in the next as well. This is the only one that allows us to physically receive our Lord. This should be a moment of reflection for us, though. Do we realize what we receive? When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, is it just another food, or just another drink? It shouldn’t be! We are given a profound gift in the Eucharist- where we are able to receive our Lord- and He is so intimately close to us that He wishes to know the deepest longings of our hearts, and He wishes to satisfy them. He wants to give us strength to go forward- even in the moments when we can’t- even if we don’t feel His strength coursing through us. He wants to give us His love, so that when we feel beyond that love, we can be reassured of His love through His presence. Yet, do we run to Mass first, before everything else? When it comes to life, and how busy it can be, do we make excuses to stay away from Mass, or do we make excuses to go? It is no exaggeration when we say that this is so fundamentally important- and we should always desire this great gift that we receive in the Eucharist!
Brothers and sisters, I know that I can make no food that will last forever. I have tried and failed so many times. Perhaps we have all had that experience to some degree. Yet, we must turn to the Lord who has given us the food that never fails us in the Eucharist- no matter where we are in life, and no matter what we need. May we, my brothers and sisters, always remember the profound gift we have in the Body and Blood of Christ.
