THE MOST HOLY BODY & BLOOD OF CHRIST
2 Chr 8: 2-3; 1 Cor 10: 16-17; Jn 6: 51-58

THE BREAD OF EVERLASTING LIFE

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever”
(Jn 6: 51).

Hunger! This is not only a concern and a goal to eradicate for poor nations and families; it is also an issue that’s very close to the heart of Christ’s Church for people who are suffering from the wrath of poverty.

Why would the Church be so concerned about a condition which seems heavily of the world?

From a biological perspective, when the human body is depleted of nutrition, when the stomach does not get the basic nutrients that are necessary for distribution to different cells in the body, then the body will tremble, the hearing will become muffled and the eyesight will grow blurred.  The mind soon looses its ability to feel, think and make good judgment.  As a result, the person eventually looses his feeling of connection toward the people and the environment around him.  When tormented by hunger, a person can become cruel toward other people or he may even forsake his own integrity. 

In the Bible, there is a story about Essau who suffered from hunger.  He was so hungry that he did not care much about his birth rights as the first-born male, he was willing to give up his noble birth rights, to which he and his descendant were entitled to, in exchange for a bowl of soup to satisfy the immediate need of his hungry stomach.  His decision truly was cruel choice for himself and for his descendant. 

In the New Testament, the image of the “prodigal son” reveals the way in which hunger can cause a person to loose his human rights, dignity and self-respect.  Because of hunger, he was willing to stoop down to the level of …the pigs.

The Israelites consider pigs as filthy and unclean creatures.  History had shown that there were people who would rather die than eat pork, as in the case of the “Martyrdom of Old Eleazar” or the “Martyrdom of the Mother and her Seven Sons” in the book of Maccabees.  How valiant was the tradition of avoiding pigs, yet because of hunger, the prodigal son was willing to relinquish his self respect and honor; he just wanted to fill his stomach with pigs’ food – the stuff that are even more dirty than pork meat.  What a shame!

The hungry and the poor don’t just suffer from the torture of deprivation, but many times, they also face contempt and maltreatment by their fellow men in ways that are worse than for animals.  The image of Lazarus and the rich man depicts a deep pit separating two people with two different living conditions.  Lazarus was so poor and very hungry.  The rich man was so wealthy and always full; everyday he threw “elaborate parties”.  The distance between these two people grew even deeper because of the ignorance and uncaring attitude of the rich man.  His heart did not move to compassion for a man dying from hunger right in front of his eyes.  As for Lazarus, not only was he excluded from the rich man’s banquet, he could not even take part in what was left over for the dogs.

Hunger and poverty are truly the enemies of the human rights, dignity and life.  That is why the Church can not sit still when human values are threatened and wounded.  The Church of Jesus Christ will never tolerate the fact that wealth or poverty may cause someone to be treated as an animal.

Since the time of its inception, the Church never ceases to call her children to treat each other fairly and to respect one another, to not favor the wealthy and mistreat the poor, nor to show favoritism towards those with lots of money and fancy clothes:  “Sit here please”, “requesting the honor of your presence”, while saying to the poor:  “Sit at my feet” or “stand there!” (Jas 2:3)

Where did the condition of wealth and poverty come from?  Perhaps this condition came from man’s selfishness, greed and injustice.  Out of selfishness, people don’t want to loose the things they possess, they don’t want to share and give.  Out of greed, people aggressively gather up things for themselves, regardless of whether it is right or wrong, as long as they can have more, the more the better.

Selfishness, greed and injustice are the direct causes that create hunger and poverty.  But if we reflect deeper, we will see that the main reason people are stingy, deceitful, cruel and unjust is because they lack love.

The lacking of love closes people’s heart to those in need, it makes people not wanting to share with those who are suffering, it causes people to loose compassion and dignity for themselves and for others.

The lack of love gives rise to hunger and poverty, not just physically, but also spiritually as well. 

Jesus Christ came into the world to teach mankind the Good News of Love which is also the Good News of Life.  He invited us to share with one another the graces that God bestows on us so that people’s lives may be enriched in the spirit of love and sharing. 

To satisfy the deep hunger within man is the basic goal in the teaching of Jesus Christ.  Through the physical bread, Jesus guides mankind toward the spiritual bread:  “ I am the living bread that came down from heaven;…unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever” (Jn 6:51-59)

Therefore, the spiritual bread is actually Jesus.  Jesus Christ, in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, will satisfy the deepest hunger in us, that which is to love and be loved.

When in love, people want their lives to merge as one so that they are no longer two but are one.  Could this be the reason why when two people kiss each other, it looks as if they are eating each other?  Sometimes a mother who loves her child so much, she would kiss the child and say:  “I love you so much that I could eat you up”.

Love is precisely the force which drives God into giving up of Himself, becoming a simple piece of bread to be eaten and become one with all of mankind.  The Gospel reading this Sunday of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is not very long, yet the verb “eat” is repeated over and over 9 times all together.

God does not eat man, instead, God allows man to eat Him.  However, when we eat God, it is not so much that we receive Him into our heart, but more correctly, it is God who receives us into His immensely loving heart.

Saint Bernard often said:  “Love does not distinguish between the classes”.  While Saint John the Evangelist wrote:  “When in love, people disregard wealth or poverty, they don’t insist on one being proportionate with the other, they don’t mind the hardship, as long as the desires of their hearts are satisfied.”  It is out of love that God became poor in the human condition so that man can become rich in God’s grace.  That is how love unites and brings forth oneness.

In the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, you and I are invited to become one with God through a receiving love, and at the same time, become one with each others through the spirit of sharing and giving.  In this way, every one will be full and content in God’s love and human love.  

     
C. T.