In today’s Gospel, Jesus describes himself as the “living bread.” After He was gone, they would still have God’s word, and they would have His “living bread” for nourishment. As Catholics, we believe that when we receive the Eucharist we receive the body of Christ. The monk and writer Thomas Merton suggested that “while we eat the substance of the true body of Christ under the sacramental species, we ourselves are eaten and absorbed by the mystical body of Christ…we become as it were perfectly part of that body, assimilated by it, one with its spiritual organism.” By loving one another we are incorporated into the body of Christ and enlightened by Christ. We are to bring life to the world, as He did. Courage, gifts and blessings come to us when we remain close to Jesus and deepen our relationship through the Eucharist.
Bread is a staple of our lives, just as Jesus is central part to our lives. Today’s Gospel focuses on what nourishes and sustains us. Today we get the sign in the breaking of bread that the spirit of Jesus is with us always when we are dedicated to the teachings of Christ and to building life-affirming relationships. The celebration of life has everything to so with food. Food is at the centre of human community-making. The challenge is there for us today. Each of us is called to follow Jesus and we will be filled with food that is far more than daily nourishment.