20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Our Nourishment

“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’” (John 6:52-58).

This passage is part of an interesting progression in this chapter of the Gospel according to John. The multitude were fed, the crowd followed Jesus and the disciples, the crowd questioned Jesus about giving them a sign, and then Jesus told them that he was the true bread sent down from heaven. The ones who were fed by him just the day before, and had asked to receive this bread (John 6:34), were now grumbling about what Jesus said.

This could be a familiar pattern in our own spiritual lives. Things may be in a state of relative calm, or we may be growing in our faith and having new experiences. And then a situation develops in which we hear things that present a challenge to us. Sometimes when it’s not something we want to hear, we resist. Maybe we’re being called to a deeper level of faith, trust, or commitment, and we don’t feel capable of or willing to respond. At times like those, our comfort level is being stretched.

This section of John’s Gospel is about the nourishment the Father gives us through Jesus, providing a unique and special way to be connected to Jesus through his body and blood. This is the mystery that has been central to our Catholic tradition for over two thousand years. The Eucharist is the nourishment that we need when we are being stretched beyond our “comfort zone.” The life of Jesus in the Word and in the consecrated bread and wine will keep us centered during those times.

What role does the Eucharist play in your life, especially when you’re experiencing growth that feels uncomfortable?

Adapted from PrayerTime: Faith-Sharing Reflections on the Sunday Gospels, available at the RENEW International store