Food Indeed

Jesus has laid it out before them. Now comes the defection of unbelievers. This is just too much for them to believe. How is it possible that Jesus could give them His flesh to eat? But unequivocally and with authority, Jesus says that the only ones who will have eternal life are those who eat His flesh and drink His blood. It is food indeed!

Friday of the 3rd Week of Easter - John 6:44-51.
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "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. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper'na-um.

Now what is this about abiding? The word abide comes from the Old English BIDEN and Middle English ABIDAN which means to remain or continue in one place; to live, dwell, or sojourn. It is also where we get the word abode meaning a place where one lives.


Jesus states, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." So one who eats the flesh of the Risen Christ and drinks the blood of the Risen Christ, abides in God and God in him.

Where else do we hear of Jesus calling us to abide? It is also in Chapter 15 of the Gospel of John that we find another of the "I AM" statements of Jesus. The RSV uses the word abide but the New American Bible is a little easier to understand, so I will substitute the word abide here for the word remain.

John 15:1-11 (NAB with the word abide substituted)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Abide in me, as I abide in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it abides on the vine, so neither can you unless you abides in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not abide in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.  

Here you have the word abide 11 times, the number of faithful apostles. Notice that this passage has to do with the vine and branches, the source of grapes, the fruit that produces wine. Wine was often used as a symbol of joy in scripture. Even Jesus' final statement in this passage is "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete."

Besides the bread, what else does Jesus consecrate at the Passover meal? It is wine. The blessing He places on the cup of wine affects us for we will be filled with the very life of God when we drink of it - if we abide in Him. If we do not abide in Him, there are consequences to our eating and drinking the body and blood.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. ~ I Corinthians 11:26-29

If the branch does not abide in the vine, it dies. So too, if we do not abide in His love, we will fail to keep the commandments of Jesus. His gave two commands at the last supper. In the synoptics, the command is in reference to His body: "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

At the last supper in the gospel of John, Jesus' command is a little different. After the washing of the feet of the disciples, Jesus says,  

When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. ~ John 13:12-14

This is not just an example to follow. Only two chapters later Jesus says,

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you." ~ John 15:12-14

So, Jesus is telling us to repeat His very act of sacrifice, not only with the bread and wine, but also in our actions by laying down our life for one another in love. Such food indeed!

Holy Thursday - Mass of the Lord's Supper

Holy Thursday’s Mass of the Last Supper is the first liturgy of the Paschal Triduum. This is the only Mass of the liturgical year in which we also find the washing of the feet. But what does it mean? To better understand, let’s look at the readings for this liturgy.

First Reading – Exodus 12:1-14

In the first reading, God establishes the Passover as a permanent feast for the Israelites. This memorial feast was to remind them of what God had done in delivering them from slavery to the Egyptians. It also tells of His covenant and his fidelity to his promises. Every Passover the Israelites would look back but they also looked to the future - at what God was going to do for them in sending them a Messiah. The meal was to be celebrated in community because God was saving all His people and they ate in haste because they were to move quickly if they wished to move from slavery to freedom. Eating the bitter herbs was a reminder of the sufferings they endured under slavery. Finally, they were commanded to remember - "Do this..."

Jim Caviezel as Jesus in "Passion of the Christ"

Second Reading – 1 Cor 11:23-26

St. Paul reminds us of what Jesus did at the Last Supper. So Paul repeats the actions and the words Jesus spoke at that Supper so that we will remember them. (Jesus) “took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” Then He took the cup of blessing and said, “’This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’” But these words were not part of the Passover tradition. Jesus was changing the Passover meal to the confusion of the disciples. What could Jesus mean? They would only understand after Jesus’ death.

Gospel Reading –  John 13:1-15

While the other evangelists give a detailed description of the last supper as a Passover meal, only John indicates that this meal is BEFORE Passover. On this night, during the meal, Jesus girds Himself with a towel and bends down with basin to wash His disciples’ feet. Instead of the institution of the Eucharist as in the synoptic gospels, Jesus shows us what Eucharist is all about. But they do not understand His actions, so Jesus makes it plain what He has done. “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet.” Jesus never intended for the washing of feet to end. He was teaching us to do the same, over and over. “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

For the disciples to truly understand the significance of Jesus’ actions, they would have to see Jesus lifted on the cross. They would only come to understand Jesus Himself as the true Passover Lamb who died to free us from slavery to sin when they understood the significance of everything He did while He was teaching them. Jesus’ entire life led Him to the cross where His gave it freely out of love for each of us.

Our smallest services given to our neighbor takes on an infinite dimension when we do it out of love. These actions are simply the prelude to that total sacrifice for which we must all be prepared. They look forward to the kingdom towards which we should all be moving. We must follow Jesus to the cross – to the suffering of His passion – to allow His spirit of true poverty to quicken within us. Then we will understand the true meaning of His sacrifice and be moved to meet the needs of others.

I have a teacher friend with a student who came into the classroom one day and told her, “Mrs. Yolan, today I am going to be a lover.” When asked what she meant, the little girl said, “I am going to love everyone today so that the world will be a better place.” Out of the mouths of babes comes the greatest wisdom. To be willing to serve others without reflecting on the cost to ourselves is the true love that Jesus is calling all of us to. How many of us can say, “Today, I am going to be a lover.”?

Looking at the empty tabernacle last night, I thought about how different the world would be if we all loved the way Jesus loved. If we take the Eucharist - the Real Presence - and become Jesus’ living tabernacle, then we will continue what Jesus did. The world would indeed be a better place. You never know when you might be called to be Jesus to someone. You never know what shoes another person stands in. You never know – until you truly love.

Bread for the World

by Bernadette Farrell

Refrain:
Bread for the world: a world of hunger.
Wine for all peoples: people who thirst.
May we who eat be bread for others.
May we who drink pour out our love.

1. Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread of life,
broken to reach and heal the wounds of human pain.
Where we divide your people, you are waiting there
on bended knee to wash our feet with endless care.

2. Lord Jesus Christ, you are the wine of peace,
poured into hearts once broken and where dryness sleeps.
Where we are tired and weary, you are waiting there
to be the way which beckons us beyond despair.

3. Lord Jesus Christ, you call us to your feast,
at which the rich and pow'rful have become the least.
Where we survive on others in our human greed,
you walk among us begging for your ev'ry need.