“I am the bread of life.” This affirmation is categorical, direct and conclusive. Using a metaphor based on the Old Testament, when the Hebrews were in the desert and God fed them with manna coming from Heaven, Jesus encloses whatever double to the fount of life: He Himself is the one who gives life.
Bread, in the epoch was one of two foods most important and consumable, therefore, used as reference to what one treats whatever food. Pray, if they were accustomed with bread that fed them, gave strength for work, then this food was indispensable to sustain the body. Jesus, however, is not referring to the physical body, because He was the food of life.
That which is life but our actions, our heart, our intentions? Jesus wanted to be food in these aspects. How many times to week see to satisfy our hunger for joy, for love, for peace and we seek in so many places when we only can be satisfied with Jesus. He is the only one that gives life in abundance. With Him we will never have thirst for peace, love, joy, justice and truth in our lives.
Jesus knows that the people were behind Him because of the miracle of the loaves. He knows also that they would like Him to be king, but His reign is not from this world, and what He proposes to to them is that they may work for food that remains for eternal life. This work is the word of God, the evangelization that Jesus realized and that we must continue. This work consists in doing the will of the Father. It consists in giving life to save the world from sin in order that all that all, preferable, merit one day to have eternal life.
Those men still incredulous and tied to their traditions, ask, demand that Jesus do miracles, spectacular signs, as the miracles of Moses with manna in the desert. With all this tradition of manna (“bread”) fallen from Heaven is overcome. The manna, still as our beans with rice today, is food for only one day, and it saves no one from death. All those that will eat the manna, will see death later.
What we need to do according to Jesus’ explanation today, is to seek the true bread fallen from Heaven that is Jesus, that which is made nourishment for our salvation and that which was given to the Father, because this is the food that remains for eternal life, this is the food that keeps us for eternal life. “Whomever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have eternal life.” And Still “Whomever eats my flesh will life in Me and I in him.”
It is this food that we should seek with all our strength and with all our effort, for it is He that comes to make us worthy of life in Paradise prepared for us by God the Father.
It is important that we may be prepared to receive this food of our soul, seeking to practice the teachings of Christ and avoiding sin. In truth, we are never worthy of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, the most that we can receive is to remain least unworthy to receive. Therefore, an examination of conscience is always indispensible before we bring ourselves from the pew and enter the line for communion. For to receive the Bread of Life, it is necessary in the state of grace and , if one is not, to be in need of making a good confession. The contrary case, receiving the consecrated host unworthily is to each to our own condemnation. Therefore, it is preferable that we do not receive in the mass and afterwards find a priest, in order that at the next mass we may be in line for communion with a peaceful conscience.
Bread descends from Heaven and Jesus conceived in the womb of Mary and lived around thirty years, a common life in His city of origin; and afterwards close to three years in contact with the multitude, revealing the Father to them that sent Him. Giving Himself for communicating life, consecrating Himself for the liberty of all the oppressed and from death, bring hope to a new world through the practice of love. To be attracted by Jesus is to believe in Him, it is social solidarity, in the search for justice and peace, entering into communion with Jesus, Bread of eternal life.
Father Bantu Mendonça
translated from Portugese