This week we will meditate on the power of the Eucharist. We will consider the reality of the Body and Blood of the Lord as expressed in the Gospels. We will ponder the abundant and satisfying grace that is ours through this Sacrament. We will strive to live in full awareness that each time we receive the Eucharist, we are experiencing the supreme sacrifice Christ made on the cross to take away our sins. Hopefully we will experience the great love Christ pours out for each of us in this Sacrament and look for practical ways to share that love with others.
As you join with your brothers and sisters at Mass this Sunday, be mindful of the words of Jesus from John 6. Meditate on the rejection he faced as he spoke about people eating his Body and drinking his Blood. Listen to the words of Peter, as he tells the Lord that there is no other to whom we can turn, for Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. Consider how Jesus left us this great sign as the center of our worship. The Eucharist truly takes us to the moment when heaven and earth were reconciled in the greatest act of love: Christ’s saving death on the cross.
Pray a prayer of thanksgiving to Christ. If you are able to meet with other men this week, share your reflections and any insights that may have come to you during Mass.
Questions for reflection
How can I develop a greater love for the Eucharist?
Do I approach Communion in a worthy manner, receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord with joy and thanksgiving?
How is Jesus asking me to take him out to the lost and hurting of this world?
Praying with Scripture
“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the chalice after supper, saying, ‘This chalice which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’” (Lk 22:19–20).
Monday
The Eucharist Gives Life
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall 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, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:51–54
Jesus came to bring us life — his life. Nothing else can satisfy our hunger for meaning and peace. Nothing else can bring us salvation. The Eucharist is the true bread that came down from heaven, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Savior. When Jesus left us this sacrament, he left us a share in his very life, for his Body and Blood are real food and drink. When we partake of the Eucharist, we are not simply remembering Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary; we are truly there at the foot of the cross.
This is not merely a symbol or a nice idea, but a deep reality, even though it is so far beyond what our senses can grasp. This living sign has been given to us to strengthen us and draw us into the very act of our salvation. It gives us all the graces we need to live out our salvation in every act of love we share, at every moment of our lives — all for the glory of God.
It should be noted that Christ’s discourse on the Eucharist is the only incident recorded in the Gospels where people turned away from Jesus for doctrinal reasons. They rejected Our Lord’s words because they were too difficult for their hardened hearts to bear. Our call as Catholic men is to accept the powerful truth of the Eucharist and to carry that truth to the world. Humanity is hungering for the life that only Jesus can bring through his death on the cross. We must be willing to share that same life that we have received at Baptism and continue to experience in the Eucharist.
Questions for Reflection
What does it mean to you to be able to receive the Eucharist each Sunday?
How does participating in the Sacrifice of the Mass strengthen you to act in a godly way?
How will you share the life of Christ given to you in the Eucharist with other men this week?
Praying with Scripture
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst’” (Jn 6:35).
Tuesday
The Eucharist Is About Abundance
Ho, every one who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, merciful love for David.
Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
Behold, you shall call nations that you know not,
and nations that knew you not shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
Isaiah 55:1–5
Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of 5,000 men, not including women and children. This happened just before his Bread of Life Discourse. He had provided an abundant banquet for those who had spent the day listening to his teachings. They came hungering for something to fill the longing in their hearts and the emptiness in their lives. Jesus could not send them away without satisfying their needs.
His actions prefigured the Sacrifice of the Mass. He gathered the people, called them to a time of worship, preached the Word, proclaimed the Good News, and shared a sacred, miraculous meal before sending the people forth in love. What an abundant gift!
The glory of the Eucharist is that it is far more than we could ever have hoped for or imagined. It is the most abundant blessing from God, the sign of his great sacrifice on Calvary, the Supper of the Lamb, who gave his life for the world. It nourishes our weary souls and fills us to overflowing so that we can spill over with love for the world that Christ is calling home to himself. The people came to Jesus seeking perishable food; Jesus offered them abundant, eternal life.
We are called to the fullness of Eucharistic life in all our actions. As we participate in the Eucharist, we are strengthened to offer the same abundant blessing we have received from Christ to all those who are looking for what will satisfy their souls.
Questions for Reflection
Do you recognize the Eucharist as a gift that flows from God’s abundance? If not, what keeps you from seeing it in that way?
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