My Dear People,

Jesus begins the second part of his discourse, in which he explicitly reveals the great mystery of the Blessed Eucharist. Christ’s words have such a tremendous realism about them that they cannot be interpreted in a figurative way: if Christ were not really present under the species of bread and wine, this discourse would make absolutely no sense. But if his real presence in the Eucharist is accepted on faith, then this meaning is quite clear and we can see how infinite and tender his life for us is.

This is so great a mystery that it has always acted as a touchstone for Christian faith: it is proclaimed as “the mystery of our faith” immediately after the consecration of the Mass. Some of our Lord’s hearers were scandalized by what he said on this occasion.  Down through history people have tried to dilute the obvious meaning of our Lord’s words. In our own day the magisterium of the Church has explained this teaching in these words: “When transubstantiation has taken place, there is no doubt that the appearance of the bread and the appearance of the wine take on a new expressiveness and new purpose for the very reason that they contain a ‘reality’.”

Nothing is left of the bread and wine but the appearance. Beneath these appearances Christ is present whole and entire, bodily present too, in his physical ‘reality.’

Jesus adds “whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world,” What Jesus meant in this passage is very clear: through the Eucharist we will have eternal life. The only way is that the “bread” that Jesus is referring to is truly his body and blood, soul and divinity.  For this reason it is important to receive the Eucharist worthily. Through receiving it, we will obtain spiritual health and many graces.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente