a life of communion
"How can He give us His flesh to eat?" —John 6:52
Jesus said: "Let Me solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (Jn 6:53). By this, Jesus probably meant that it was necessary for us to receive Him in Holy Communion. If Jesus was not speaking literally in today's Gospel reading, He would have said that he was only speaking symbolically to keep from unnecessarily driving people away from Him (see Jn 6:66). Therefore, in today's Gospel reading, Jesus revealed these truths:
- Without receiving Him in Communion, we have no life in us (Jn 6:53).
- In receiving Communion, we have life eternal and can expect the resurrection of our bodies on the last day (Jn 6:54).
- In Communion, we receive spiritual nourishment (Jn 6:55).
- Through Communion, we live in Jesus and He in us (Jn 6:56).
- We will have life because of receiving Jesus in Communion (Jn 6:57).
Do you believe what Jesus said about Communion in John 6? If you do, you will probably try to receive Communion every day of your life and invite others to do the same. This is what we are doing in this book, One Bread, One Body. By teaching on the daily readings for the Mass, we hope to encourage you to receive Communion daily or as often as possible. Please join us in inviting as many as possible to center their lives on loving and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist.
Prayer: Father, may my faith in Your Son's presence in the Eucharist cause me to re-structure my whole life.
Promise: "Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and his strength returned to him after he had taken food." —Acts 9:18-19
Praise: So important is daily Communion to Barbara, she sometimes walks two miles or more to receive.
Reference: (For more teaching, order our booklet, This Is My Body.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Edward J. Gratsch, October 10, 1995
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 13, 1995