Sometimes, going to Mass can seem boring. We think if only we could meet Jesus in person, things would be different. They would be real and exciting. Think for a moment. What if one day that actually happened? Someone came up to you and they exclaimed, “He’s back! JESUS IS BACK IN THE FLESH! You can touch Him! You can kiss Him! He is really here!” Then they grab your hand and lead you to the church chapel, open the door, point to the Eucharist in the tabernacle and say, “There He is! Jesus is here in the flesh!” Would you be disappointed? The first time I was asked this question I thought ut-oh, I would be disappointed. This made me think, why? Why would I be disappointed if I knew the Eucharist is truly Jesus. As a cradle Catholic, I knew and believed Jesus was present but did not ever take the time to really contemplate and understand what that really meant.
I remember when I was preparing for my first communion I was so excited. Like most eight year olds, I was excited I would finally get to be like “big kids”, I would get to taste the bread, I would get to wear a pretty dress, and don’t forget how excited I was that I would get presents. Sadly, none of those things I was excited about had to do with God or the actual beauty of receiving the sacrament. I was only focused on myself. I never took the time to really think about the true importance of the bread and wine becoming the actual body and blood of Christ until the end of my freshman year of college when I was talking with one of my non-Catholic friends.
My friend and I enjoyed having deep conversations about our religions and one night we were discussing the Catholic viewpoint on the Eucharist. Like always, I would do my research and find Bible verses that defended the Catholic stance. There was one Bible verse about the Eucharist that stood out in my research because it did not take place at the Last Supper. This Bible verse was actually the entire chapter of John 6. It is easy to lose the connection in Bible stories because oftentimes we only read small sections at a time. So the first time I read this entire chapter all the way through it was like I had found a missing part of religion that I never knew before.
John chapter 6 starts with the story we all know when Jesus multiplied fish and loaves. But immediately after Jesus did this huge miracle, his disciples asked for more food. Jesus replied to this by saying He will give them food that will give them eternal life. His followers were ecstatic at that news and eagerly waited for Him to give it to them. This is when John 6:35 states “Jesus said to them, “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” At this statement, His followers were confused. The bible states: “The Jews murmured about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” So this is the part of the story where it gets interesting, instead of Jesus saying, guys calm down, it was just a symbol He then repeats that He is the bread of life 2 more times to prove He meant what He said. This then really upsets the Jews and they were no longer murmuring, they started ARGUING how crazy this is. The bible states: The Jews QUARRELED among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, UNLESS YOU EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, you do not have life within you. Jesus follows this not by trying to calm them down and make peace, instead, once again He restates that He is the Bread of Life 3 more times. Finally, his disciples actually reject Jesus because of this teaching as the Bible states: “Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” “As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”
What is so special about this chapter of the Bible? This is the only place Jesus actually loses disciples in the Bible. Clearly, the teaching He is telling them is so important that He thought it was worth losing His disciples over it. Another thing Jesus does in this chapter is He repeated that He is the bread of life a total of 9 TIMES! Jesus wanted to make His point clear.
After my friend and I read that chapter together, he asked but HOW could God become a piece of bread? Going back to the chapter we just read I thought back to that verse, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” That verse explained HOW God could become a piece of bread. God has unbelievable powers. He did many miracles. The God of the entire universe was capable of becoming a tiny infant human. Thus, He can become anything that He wanted to through His same almighty powers. He could become a chair if He wanted, or a simple tiny piece of bread. Thinking of God in all his power becoming something so small always reminds me of a quote from the Genie in the movie Aladdin: “Phenomenal Cosmic Power, itty bitty living space.”
For me, the question was not HOW does God do it because I believed God CAN. I wanted to know WHY? Why would God want to turn into a piece of bread for us to eat Him? Why would He be willing to have followers, “returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him”? This question bothered me because if I had almighty powers, becoming bread wouldn’t be on my bucket list.
The answer to why can be found in one of my favorite quotes is by Mother Teresa. She said “When you look at a Crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you THEN. When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much Jesus loves you NOW.” So why does God become a piece of bread? It's simple. Because He wants an INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU. He not only WANTS you to TALK to him through prayer, He WANTS you to be able to TOUCH Him, He WANTS you to be able to HOLD Him in your hands. He WANTS you to be able to KISS His flesh. He WANTS to be CLOSER than humanly possible. When you love someone, you want to get as close to them as you can. INTIMACY MEANS CLOSENESS. That’s why you KISS the person you love. That’s why you get married and BECOME ONE with that person. GOD WANTS THIS CLOSENESS WITH YOU. How much closer can God get than truly BECOMING ONE WITH YOU through the reception of the Eucharist.
Next time when you are in church and see a tabernacle don’t be disappointed. Be ecstatic! Christ loves you so much He humbles Himself to become a piece of bread just for you to touch Him.
“When you approach the tabernacle remember that he has been waiting for you for twenty centuries.” - St. Josemaria Escriva
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