Introduction
On the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, we celebrate the transcendent gift of Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist. While Holy Thursday also marks this important event, the somber nature of Holy Week can overshadow the joy that should accompany this momentous occasion. That is why today’s celebration includes a distinct attitude of rejoicing; it calls us to deepen our connection to this extraordinary gift that transforms our lives.
May this celebration deepen our love and appreciation for the sacrament and inspire us to live transformed lives, filled with the joy and grace that flow from partaking in the Body and Blood of Christ.
1st Reading – Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16a
Moses said to the people:
“Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
“Do not forget the LORD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers.”
Just before his death, God charged Moses to again proclaim the Law he received at Mount Sinai to the Israelites before they crossed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. This re-proclamation constitutes the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth and last book of the Pentateuch. The name is derived from the Greek word deuteronomion, or second law – not to indicate a new law, but a second telling of the Law.
Moses’ audience is the new generation of Israelites: all those who would have been age 20 or younger when the great exodus began 40 years earlier.
In the passage we hear today, Moses reminds this younger generation about the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, where they experienced hardships and relied on God’s care and provision. They were sustained by manna, the bread from heaven.
Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we too depend on God for our sustenance. Through the Eucharist, Jesus becomes the true bread of life that nourishes our souls and satisfies our deepest hunger. He provides us with spiritual sustenance and strength for our journey of faith.
Moses said to the people: Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert,
This is a kind of theological instruction called retrieval, which involves drawing upon past experiences to guide an individual’s beliefs and actions in the present.
Moses is directing his audience to remember these events as if they had experienced them personally. This is a way of imparting important lessons to the younger generation and shaping their understanding of God’s faithfulness.
so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments.
The hardships experienced in the wilderness were not arbitrary or accidental. God allowed them to endure these challenges to test their loyalty to the covenant and repeatedly demonstrate their total dependence on God.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
Moses reflects on the story of manna (Exodus 16; Numbers 11:16-23), highlighting the importance of living according to God’s word.
When the people experienced hunger, they came to recognize their own limitations and were forced to rely solely on God’s providence. This encounter taught them that their sustenance came not only from bread, but from the very promise of God.
Jesus will quote these words when rejecting Satan’s first temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:4).
Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers.
Moses reminds the Israelites that God rescued them from slavery, guided them through the harsh wilderness, kept them safe from myriad dangers, miraculously provided water, and gave them mysterious food from heaven. They were recipients of God’s care and provision; it was all his doing.
Any delusion they may have of their own self-sufficiency has been dismantled.
2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
we, though many, are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf.
Today’s second reading is part of Paul’s discourse on the Eucharist in his first letter to the Corinthians. It emphasizes the profound unity and participation of believers in the Body and Blood of Christ.
Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Paul is describing the profound spiritual reality that takes place during the celebration of the Eucharist. The “cup of blessing” and the “bread that we break” are the blood and body of Christ, respectively.
“Cup of blessing” was a common Jewish expression for the cup of wine taken at the end of the meal. The blessing referred to was probably some form of the following: Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the universe, who created the fruit of the vine.
The term “participation” is also rendered as “communion” in other Bible translations. This conveys the intimate connection that believers have with each other and with Christ through the Eucharist. In this sacrament, we are spiritually united with Christ, becoming participants in his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.
“That bread which you see on the altar, having been consecrated by the word of God, is the Body of Christ. That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, consecrated by the word of God, is the Blood of Christ. Through that bread and wine the Lord Christ willed to commend to us His Body and the Blood which He poured out for the remission of sins. If you have received worthily, you are what you have received.” [Saint Augustine of Hippo (ca. 391 AD), Easter Sunday Homily, 227]
Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body,
The early Church Fathers found rich symbolism in the physical elements used in the Eucharist. Bread, which is made from many grains, and wine, which is pressed from many clusters of grapes, represent the unity and diversity of believers.
Through the profound mystery of the Eucharist, believers in Christ, despite their many individual identities, are intimately joined together as one body. The shared participation in the Eucharist serves as a unifying force that brings believers into a deep communion with one another, reflecting the unity and diversity found within the Church.
for we all partake of the one loaf.
When we eat, the food we consume becomes part of our body. Our metabolism changes the food we eat into part of ourselves. However, the opposite is true with the Eucharist: when we partake of that spiritual food, the body of Christ, we are transformed into it.
Breaking bread together forms us into a community; sharing Eucharistic bread forms us into the body of Christ.
“When you see [the Body of Christ] lying on the altar, say to yourself, ‘Because of this Body I am no longer earth and ash, no longer a prisoner, but free. Because of this Body I hope for heaven, and I hope to receive the good things that are in heaven, immortal life, the lot of the angels, familiar conversation with Christ.” [Saint John Chrysostom (392 AD), Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 24,4(7)]
Gospel – John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world.”
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.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
Today’s gospel is part of a sermon that Jesus gives to a crowd after the multiplication of loaves, often called the Bread of Life discourse.
This takes place about one year before Jesus’ death, during the second of three Passovers mentioned in the New Testament.
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever;
This is the third time that Jesus identifies himself as the “Bread of Life” (verses 35 and 48 are the other two). In Hebrew numerology the number three represents completeness.
To a Jewish audience, the “bread that came down from heaven” was the manna that God sent to feed their ancestors in the desert. However, notice that Jesus adds a word, calling himself living bread. Many people see this as a reference to his pre-existence.
That Jesus is the preexistent Word who came down from heaven and became flesh — the idea with which John begins his gospel — was understood only after the resurrection.
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
While the Eucharistic theme is obvious (see also Hebrews 10:5-10), this is also an allusion to his own death, which he offered for the life of the world.
Throughout this passage, we will see that Jesus doesn’t attempt to soften or alter his teaching. It is the literal meaning, not a figurative or metaphorical one, that he is trying to drive home.
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Just as Nicodemus thought of being born again in the purely physical sense (John 3:4), and the woman at the well thought only of natural water (John 4:11), so now the Jews understand the reference to his flesh literally. If they had understood him in a metaphorical, figurative, or symbolic sense, there would have been no reason to quarrel.
Although they understand perfectly well what he is saying, they can’t believe it could be true. How can he give them his flesh to eat? This idea would have been understandably repulsive to them — this sounds a lot like cannibalism.
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
Their lack of understanding gives Jesus an opportunity to explain.
Amen means “truly,” “so be it,” “I do believe.” A doubled amen is a solemn affirmation, an oath — something that carries life and death consequences.
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
Recall that “Son of Man” is a term that Jesus applies to himself, the New Adam (Daniel 7:13), the one who will affect the resurrection (Ezekiel 37).
Jesus’ words do not encourage any figurative understanding of his pronouncement; they underscore the literal meaning. The words that have upset the Jews, “flesh” and “eat,” are repeated. In fact, both of these words appear six times in today’s short reading.
and drink his blood,
If the idea of eating someone’s flesh is repugnant, drinking their blood is perhaps more so — particularly to a Jewish audience. Blood was a forbidden food under the Law (Leviticus 7:27; 17:10-14), the penalty for which was to be expelled from the tribe; they would be excommunicated.
From a literal standpoint, the phrase “flesh and blood” commonly refers to a living being. However, it holds a deeper connotation, evoking imagery of a sacrificial victim that is both slaughtered (flesh and blood) and subsequently shared in a ritual meal (food and drink). Jesus is “flesh and blood” in this way as well, first as the sacrificial victim on the cross and then as food and drink.
you do not have life within you.
Note that eternal life comes from feeding on Jesus, not simply from believing in him.
We must receive Christ in the Eucharist in order to share in the divine life and develop the grace received at Baptism.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
In unequivocal language, Jesus again states that his flesh is food and his blood is drink.
The Greek verb used here for “eat” is trōgō, which carries a more graphic and visceral connotation than the commonly used verb for eating, which is phagein. Trōgō implies a gnawing or munching action, emphasizing the physical act of chewing and consuming solid food.
This shows that it is an actual meal that he is talking about, leaving no room for a symbolic interpretation: Jesus has not only reiterated the statement, he has strengthened it.
has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
Jesus explicitly states that his body and blood are a pledge of eternal life and a guarantee of the resurrection of the body.
This is a pledge which only God can make.
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Jesus again declares that his flesh is food and his blood is drink, using unmistakable language.
Just as physical nourishment is essential for sustaining life on earth, the Eucharist is necessary for nourishing the life of the soul.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
Again the strong verb trōgō is used for eating. This is the fourth time, in four verses, that Jesus has said they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. There is no question that he is speaking quite literally. With this rapid repetition, it’s almost as if Jesus is saying, “What part of ‘eat’ and ‘drink’ don’t you understand?”
In other situations when hearers misunderstood Jesus, he corrected their misunderstanding immediately (see John 3:3-6 for example, where Jesus corrects Nicodemus’ understanding of “born again” and explains that it is not a physical rebirth but a spiritual rebirth through baptism). Here, no correction is made because no misunderstanding exists.
remains in me and I in him.
The most important effect of the Eucharist is the intimate union it creates with Jesus Christ.
Just as we become one with the food we eat, those who partake of Jesus become one with him.
The Greek word used here (ménō) means to stay or abide, implying that this union with Jesus is not temporary; he remains with them permanently, dwelling within them.
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
Christ is the Word of God made man. In him, “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). His human nature and divine nature are ineffably united in a single person, a person who walked among us on earth.
Since the body of Christ that we are given in the sacrament of the Eucharist is indissolubly united to his divinity, by receiving it we receive a share of his divinity.
This profound offer of intimacy with God himself — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — is a gift beyond measure.
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
Jesus compares the true bread of life, his own body, with the manna God used to feed the Israelites every day during their journey through the wilderness.
While the manna sustained the Israelites for forty years, this bread — Jesus himself — sustains believers for eternity.
Connections and Themes
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Collectively, our readings for today’s feast emphasize the themes of nourishment, communion, and participation in the Eucharist.
They underscore the transformative power of the Eucharist, wherein believers encounter the living Christ, are united with Him, and receive the gift of eternal life. The readings invite reflection on the significance of the Eucharist in deepening our relationship with God and fostering unity within the Christian community.
God who feeds. Our God is a providential God. Throughout history, he has shown care by providing food and water for our ancestors, even when they were undeserving. In times of hunger and desperation, God came to their rescue. It is the needy, not those who claim to be worthy, who receive God’s provision.
Today, we are offered the true bread from heaven: the flesh and blood of Jesus, present in the Eucharist. This sacred food not only nourishes us today, it assures us of eternal life. Just as faith was required in the wilderness and during Jesus’ time, faith is also required in order to realize the spiritual reality of the Eucharist.
One bread, one body. Those who partake of the Eucharist enter into a deep union with God that goes beyond what was experienced in the wilderness. Jesus’ proclamation to give His flesh and blood was bold, but Paul’s statement goes even further. He declares that by partaking in the bread and cup, we not only unite with Christ but actually become participants in his body and blood. It is a joining of humanity and divinity, an extraordinary unity.
The Eucharist also symbolizes unity in another sense: as we are joined to the body and blood of Christ, we are also joined to one another. We become part of a single body, and that body is Christ.
Sunday Readings 