More than a century ago, a poor family from a small village in Eastern Europe decided to migrate to America. Their friends and relatives threw a “going away” party for them. They were given several loaves of hard bread and blocks of cheese for the voyage. A week later, the family boarded an Italian ship. Since they had never been out of their village before and no one on board spoke their language, they were overwhelmed by what they saw and heard.
Because the weather was cold and wet, the family immediately went to their third class cabin below deck. There they stayed, eating their provisions of bread and cheese sparingly. On the last day of the trip, the weather cleared up. The oldest boy, who had grown restless, asked his father for permission to explore the ship. When his teenaged son did not return within the hour, the father went looking for him. He found him in a big dining room, sitting at a table, eating from a plate overflowing with vegetables, meat and even desert.
The father’s heart stopped. He had visions of spending his first days in America in jail for there was no way he could pay for all the food that his son had ordered and was eating. When the boy saw how frightened his father looked, he said, “Don’t worry, papa, it’s free. While we’ve been fasting on rations of bred and cheese, everyone else has been feasting on banquets like this. They’re included in the price of the ticket!”
That story fits in well with the message of today’s gospel. The world is filled with people who, like that poor Serbian family, journey through life, totally unaware of the incredible banquet that God spreads before them every day. This banquet, which we call Holy Communion, is the banquet that Jesus is talking about when he told the crowd, “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.”
Understandably, those who first listened to what Jesus said were disturbed. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” The notion of eating anyone’s flesh was quite unsettling. Certainly, Jesus was not talking about ordinary bread here.
The difference between the living bread, which Jesus speaks of, and bread that you can buy at the store is beyond comparison. When we eat that kind of bread, it enters our body and changes into us. When we eat the living bread, however, the opposite happens. The living bread doesn’t change into us; rather, we change into the living bread. When we reverently partake of Holy Communion, we are transformed into the body of Christ. We take on the life of Christ. Jesus told the crowd, “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.”
Think of the words spoken at the consecration, which sum up what Jesus said at the Last Supper. “This is my body which will be given up for you…this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.” And this we have done since they were first spoken. The Eucharist is our link with Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. The Eucharist is our tangible reminder of God’s unconditional love for us.
Mindful of Jesus’ profound love for us, we allow the Eucharist to transform us. We are then empowered to heed the command we are given at the end of Mass to love and serve the Lord. Yes, the Eucharist can transform us into people of love.
The first reading speaks about the wisdom of God, who invites us to a dinner. “Come and eat and drink and live forever,” we are told. God gives us the dream of living in peace and happiness for all eternity. That becomes possible when we endeavor to love.
Paul knows how human we are. He speaks of our failings, urging us to understand the will of God. Deep down, we want to be with God, but too often, we ignore God’s wise counsel for getting there, such as allowing the Eucharist to change us. Many people go through the motions of taking communion but with little appreciation for what they are receiving. They act as though what they receive is still bread and wine; then they wonder why this sacrament has no impact on them. They may have the faith and the knowledge all right, but if they are not attentive to what is going on, they cannot receive the fullness of grace that is being offered.
St. Thomas Aquinas observed that a mouse cannot receive Holy Communion if it eats a consecrated host since it lacks knowledge and faith, even though Christ remains present. He went on to argue that a believer who consumes consecrated bread, but believes that it is not consecrated, does not receive Christ either. He also reasoned that the same is true for non-believers who partake of Holy Communion despite what others believe. They receive the Eucharist, Aquinas notes, “not as sacrament, but as simple food.”
What about believers who are inattentive while receiving Holy Communion? We may be receiving Christ but not the fullness of grace that he has to offer, for we can only receive fully what we are fully disposed to receive. Come attentively and reverently to receive the Lord. Sense his presence in your midst. Reverence the encounter. Respond convincingly with the word, “Amen,” as a sign that you savor what is being offered you in the sacrament.
How tragic that the Serbian family made their voyage to America unaware that meals came with their tickets, but what is even more tragic is for us to turn this banquet into a lifeless routine by failing to make this encounter with Jesus a personal prayerful encounter every time we’re given the chance to feast on him.