John 6: 51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Come and Get It
My grandmother Connell wasn’t a great cook. She would announce dinner with, “Come and get it; it’s not going to get any better.” Truer words were never spoken.
Jesus invites us to a meal far beyond anything we could mix up. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” Unlike any earthly food, he gives himself completely—his body, his life, his love—for us. This bread satisfies more than hunger; it nourishes our hearts, our souls, our very being.
At every Eucharist, Christ offers the same generous, life-giving gift. The table is set, the bread is broken, and he calls us into perfect communion with him and one another. “Come and get it; it couldn’t be better.”
—Fr. Martin Connell, SJ, serves as dean of Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago.
Prayer
Bread of Life, you offer yourself completely to us, nourishing not only our hunger but our deepest longings for communion. Grant me the grace to receive your gift with gratitude and to become bread for others in love and service. Amen.
—Fr. Martin Connell, SJ