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“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 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.” John 6:48–51

We continue this Sunday with the beautiful “Bread of Life Discourse” from John’s Gospel. At the beginning of today’s passage, we read that the people listening to this discourse “murmured about Jesus.” They did so because He had been teaching them that He was the Bread of Life Who had come down from Heaven. For some of His listeners, this was too much to accept. It was especially difficult for those who knew Jesus and His family from Nazareth. When Jesus became aware of their murmurs, He confronted them straight on saying, “Stop murmuring among yourselves.” He then doubled down on His teaching, taking it even further, telling them that whoever eats His flesh will live forever.

In some ways, Jesus’ teaching could be said to defy human reason. Imagine hearing this teaching for the first time from someone who grew up in your hometown. Human reason alone is insufficient to comprehend and accept such teaching. But that is precisely the point. Human reason alone is insufficient. But when human reason is endowed with a special revelation from the Father in Heaven, then all becomes clear and all makes sense.

On that point, Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him” and that “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.” Therefore, even though it is beyond the ability of natural human reason alone to make sense of what Jesus was teaching, those who were drawn by the Father and listened to His voice were given a new form of knowledge that brought clarity to their human minds. This knowledge is essential if we are to know and understand the path to eternal life and if we are to understand and believe in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that faith is just believing in something that is beyond us. But faith is much more. It’s not just blindly believing. It’s not just wishful thinking that turns into a personal choice to believe. Faith is based on something absolutely real and unmistakable. It’s based on true spiritually revealed knowledge—a knowledge given to us by God. In fact, this form of knowledge, given by God, is far more certain than any other form of knowledge.

For example, you know that 2+2=4 because you can take two objects, add two more, and then count four. Or you know that music is playing because your ears perceive the sound. Thus, you rely upon your senses to produce knowledge to arrive at conclusions. Spiritually infused knowledge, however, is even more certain than that which we can obtain through our senses because it is God Who reveals the truth. Therefore, if God speaks to you and imparts to you a knowledge that His flesh is true food and His blood is true drink, and that if you eat His flesh and drink His blood then you will obtain eternal life, then this knowledge is certain, transforming, and becomes the basis of a life of pure faith. Though this may seem overly philosophical, it is true and necessary to understand. 

Reflect, today, upon anything that you fail to have perfect faith in. Do you believe in the Most Holy Eucharist? Do you believe that it is the food for eternal life? Do you believe in everything Jesus taught? Examine your faith and where it is lacking; seek the voice of the Father. Only God can impart the deepest spiritual knowledge to you. For your part, you must listen, comprehend, accept and believe. Doing so will produce the gift of faith within your human reason, and that faith will be your guide to the life of the fullness of grace. 

Lord, You have revealed to us the deepest mysteries of life. You have revealed Your love and compassion, and You have revealed the way to eternal life. Please give me the gift of faith so that I will believe all that You have revealed. Please especially deepen my faith in the Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist. Jesus, I trust in You.

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