Josh 24:1-2a,15-17, 18b; Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21; Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32; John 6:60-69
COMMENTARY
“Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”
Today we conclude our journey of four reflections on the Bread of Life Discourse, presented over the last three Sundays. The Gospel passage that comes after this Discourse reveals how the disciples’ reacted to Jesus’ offering himself as the Bread of Life by means of his Flesh and Blood. After Jesus had taught “these things in the synagogue in Capernaum” (cf. John 6:59), what happened remains a relevant lesson today for us, his modern disciples. It teaches us how to understand and live the mystery of the Eucharist as revealed by Jesus through his holy words and his life offered for the world. In our reflection, we focus on three key moments in this Gospel passage: The Murmuring of the Disciples, Jesus’ Further Revelation and Peter’s Beautiful Confession.
1. The Murmuring of the Disciples
It is curious to note that the reaction of “many of his disciples” to the words of Jesus is identical to that of the Jews previously: they “murmured.” The evangelist accentuated this by using the same word for both groups (cf. John 6:41, 61). Moreover, these murmuring disciples expressed their bewilderment with even stronger words than Jesus’ steadfast opponents, the Jews, had ever used: “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” This was a ruthless criticism of what Jesus said, calling it “hard”―meaning, incomprehensible and unpractical. Moreover, the rhetorical question posed by the disciples was a total rejection of Jesus, who spoke in these “awful” terms. Thus, ironically, in the face of Jesus’ revelation on how to enter into the new and truly divine life, we often find the strongest opposition coming from the “disciples,” those who followed Jesus and shared bread with Him daily.
Nevertheless, it is important that we understand why the disciples reacted so vehemently. Recall that, for Jews, the consummation of blood was unacceptable, because the biblical-Jewish tradition held that the life of all beings resides in the blood (cf. Lev 17:10-14). This led to their prohibition of consuming blood (cf. Gen 9:4: “Only meat with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat.”) Thus, Jesus’ listeners were bewildered because He did not speak of drinking wine in reference to His blood, but spoke directly of drinking His blood! Furthermore, the disciple’s reaction may be linked to the earlier confusion of the Jews, who had objected to Jesus’ claim that He had “come down from heaven.” In other words, they were opposed to the mystery of the Word and Wisdom of God who made himself flesh in order to be offered in total sacrifice, as divine nourishment for humanity. Responding to this confusion, Jesus invited everyone to contemplate again the heavenly origin of the Son of Man, who is now His True Self, and to re-enter the dynamic of faith, saying: “Does this shock you? [literally scandalize you] What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?”
2. Jesus’ Further Revelation on Offering Himself as the Bread of Life, by Means of His Flesh and Blood. The Role of the Life-Giving Spirit
After inviting the “murmuring” disciples to recognize the heavenly origin of the Son of Man, Jesus continued His dialogue with them, indicating the key to understanding and truly living the mystery of the Eucharist He offered. In effect, He told them that the Spirit of God “is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). The term “flesh” here, in all likelihood, has no connection with the “Flesh” of Christ, mentioned earlier in the Discourse. Its primary meaning is physical existence, representing the earthly, human and transitory realm, as distinct from the divine and spiritual world (cf. John 3:6; 6:63; also 8:15; 17:2). Together, the words “flesh” and “spirit” form a pair of opposites that is used very frequently in the biblical tradition. Recall, for example, Jesus’ exhortation to the “sleepy” disciples in Gethsemane: “Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). In this regard, we should recall what Jesus taught Nicodemus about the mystery of baptism, namely, one’s rebirth by water and the Spirit to attain a new life in God: “What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).
In Jesus’ explanation of the Eucharist, we glimpse the same perspective of the “spirit-flesh” concept. Here too, in order to understand and live the Eucharistic mystery, then as now, the disciples were invited to open themselves up to the Spirit of God. They were called to conform their own spirit to the divine Spirit who is in the living and life-giving words of Jesus, to the extent that the Spirit becomes one with those words, as Jesus proclaimed: “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
Two key aspects emerge here regarding the proper attitude for receiving the gift of the Eucharist of Jesus. First, the significance of Jesus’ Word is emphasized again as a source of life for those who accept it. The Bread of Life that Jesus offers is His teaching, the way for us to follow Him, because He himself is the Way, Truth, and Life. It is therefore necessary to receive the holy communion of the Eucharistic Bread of Jesus in a complete, integral way, embracing the gift of his Word and that of His Body and Blood. Secondly, when we receive the “complete” Eucharistic Jesus, we are called to do so in the Spirit, not according to the “flesh”. In every time and place, there is a real risk (a big one indeed!) for Jesus’ disciples to approach divine matters, especially the Eucharist, with a human or earthly mindset. There is the risk of viewing and receiving Holy Communion with the Eucharistic Jesus merely as something “magical” or, conversely, as a routine practice, without heart and spirit. Hence, this reminder from St. Francis of Assisi: “It is the Spirit of the Lord, therefore, that lives in His faithful, that receives the Body and Blood of the Lord. All others who do not share in this same Spirit, and presume to receive Him, eat and drink judgment on themselves” (1Cor 11:29); (Later Admonition 1:12-13).
3. Peter’s Beautiful Confession Articulating the Faith of the Twelve
Returning to the Gospel passage, despite Jesus’ explanation of the Eucharistic mystery, we read that from that moment “many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him” (John 6:66). This seems to indicate that these “many” disciples had truly hardened their hearts. The passage marks the important moment of the so-called crisis of Galilee (or the Galilean crisis) in the mission of Jesus. It heralds and prefigures that crisis in Jerusalem when all will abandon Him during His passion. What happened here is a warning to all His disciples in every era, so that they may always, even today, call upon the Spirit to renew their docility of heart in the face of Jesus’ revelations, and allow themselves to be constantly guided by Jesus’ words of life and His life-giving Spirit, particularly in times of crisis. The Catechism of the Catholic Church comments on this:
The first announcement of the Eucharist divided the disciples, just as the announcement of the Passion scandalized them: “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling blocks. It is the same mystery and it never ceases to be an occasion of division. “Will you also go away?”: the Lord’s question echoes through the ages, as a loving invitation to discover that only he has “the words of eternal life” and that to receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself (CCC 1336).
Personally, I am always moved by Jesus’ question to the disciples on that occasion: “Do you also want to leave?” (John6:67). Jesus’ words here can be interpreted as a “provocation.” Nevertheless, they give one a glimpse of His magnanimity and His enormous respect for the freedom of His followers. For me, this proves that He was indeed the divine Master from heaven, because all the masters of this world, in a similar situation, would have asked their few remaining disciples to pledge allegiance!
Peter’s response to Jesus’ open question turns out to be no less moving: “Master [literally Lord], to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). Since Peter used “we” as the subject in these sentences, it is clear that he was speaking on behalf of the Twelve (who are mentioned as a group for the first time, here in the Gospel of John). On one hand, they renewed their faith both in Jesus’ words, which give eternal life, and in Jesus’ person as the “Saint of God,” that is, the “Consecrated of God.” On the other hand, they professed their faithfulness to follow Jesus, their only Lord and Master, always and in every case, like Joshua and the chosen people, who set out to serve God alone in their lives (cf. first reading, Josh 24)
From a theological and spiritual point of view, the faith and fidelity of Peter and the Twelve at that moment was certainly articulated through the inspiration of the Spirit of God, as St. Paul the Apostle will later teach us: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the holy Spirit” (1Cor 12:3). Thus, significantly, this confession of faith becomes a necessary act for entering into the mystery of the Eucharist of Jesus. It is essential for understanding it, and living it, in the Spirit. It is forever the act and attitude required of all Jesus’ disciples who are always called to confess and renew themselves before the sublime, unfathomable and inexhaustible gift of Jesus’ offering himself as the Bread of Life, by means of his Flesh and Blood, for the life of the world. This renewal of true Eucharistic faith and life among Christ’s disciples will also renew their missionary spirit and their zeal to evangelize the world with Christ, their Master and Lord. So may it be. Amen.
Useful tips:
Pope Francis , Message for World Mission Day 2024 “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (cf. Mt 22:9)
This fullness of life, which is Christ’s gift, is anticipated even now in the banquet of the Eucharist, which the Church celebrates at the Lord’s command in memory of him. The invitation to the eschatological banquet that we bring to everyone in our mission of evangelization is intrinsically linked to the invitation to the Eucharistic table, where the Lord feeds us with his word and with his Body and Blood. As Benedict XVI taught: “Every Eucharistic celebration sacramentally accomplishes the eschatological gathering of the People of God. For us, the Eucharistic banquet is a real foretaste of the final banquet foretold by the prophets (cf. Is 25:6-9) and described by the New Testament as ‘the marriage-feast of the Lamb’ (Rev 19:9), to be celebrated in the joy of the communion of the saints” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 31).
Consequently, all of us are called to experience more intensely every Eucharist, in all its dimensions, and particularly its eschatological and missionary dimensions. In this regard, I would reiterate that “we cannot approach the Eucharistic table without being drawn into the mission which, beginning in the very heart of God, is meant to reach all people” (ibid., 84). The Eucharistic renewal that many local Churches are laudably promoting in the post-Covid era will also be essential for reviving the missionary spirit in each member of the faithful. With how much greater faith and heartfelt enthusiasm should we recite at every Mass: “We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection, until you come again”!
In this year devoted to prayer in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025, I wish to encourage all to deepen their commitment above all to take part in the celebration of Mass and to pray for the Church’s mission of evangelization. In obedience to the Saviour’s command, she does not cease to pray, at every Eucharistic and liturgical celebration, the “Our Father”, with its petition, “Thy kingdom come”. In this way, daily prayer and the Eucharist in particular make us pilgrims and missionaries of hope, journeying towards everlasting life in God, towards the nuptial banquet that God has prepared for all his children.
Pope Francis , Message for World Mission Day 2023 “Hearts on fire, feet on the move” (cf. Lk 24:13-35)
2. Our eyes were “opened and recognized him” in the breaking of the bread. Jesus in the Eucharist is the source and summit of the mission[…]
Here it should be remembered that breaking our material bread with the hungry in the name of Christ is already a work of Christian mission. How much more so is the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, which is Christ himself, a work of mission par excellence, since the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life and mission of the Church.
As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out: “We cannot keep to ourselves the love we celebrate in the Sacrament [of the Eucharist]. By its very nature, it asks to be communicated to everyone. What the world needs is the love of God, to encounter Christ and believe in him. For this reason the Eucharist is not only the source and summit of the life of the Church; it is also the source and summit of her mission: ‘An authentically Eucharistic Church is a missionary Church’” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 84).
In order to bear fruit we must remain united to Jesus (cf. Jn 15:4-9). This union is achieved through daily prayer, particularly in Eucharistic adoration, as we remain in silence in the presence of the Lord, who remains with us in the Blessed Sacrament. By lovingly cultivating this communion with Christ, the missionary disciple can become a mystic in action. May our hearts always yearn for the company of Jesus, echoing the ardent plea of the two disciples of Emmaus, especially in the evening hours: “Stay with us, Lord!” (cf. Lk 24:29).