Living in Jesus and for Jesus

Jesus said to the crowds:
"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."

Jesus promises that those who eat this bread will live forever. This is not merely a promise of life after death, but of abundant life now. It is a life filled with purpose, joy, and love. It is a life lived in communion with God and with one another. To receive this gift requires faith. It requires a willingness to let go of our own understanding and to trust in God's infinite love. It requires a desire for deeper intimacy with Christ.It is a claim that challenges our understanding of God, of Jesus, and of ourselves. It invites us to see the Eucharist, the breaking of bread and sharing of the cup, as more than a symbolic act. It is a real encounter with the living Christ, a participation in his life-giving sacrifice.

The Bread of Life from Heaven is the Body of Christ: The Bread of Life, or the Holy Eucharist, is the Sacramental Body of Christ.  Theologians recognize four elements in this “Body of Christ.” The physical body is the physical body of Christ which was born in Bethlehem and died on Calvary. The risen body is the transformed and glorified body of Jesus (I Cor 15: 35-49) with which Jesus appeared to his disciples.  The Mystical Body is the Church which is the continuation of Jesus Christ on earth.  Each baptized believer is an integral part (member), of the Mystical Body of Christ. The Sacramental Body is related to and distinct from the above-mentioned bodies of Christ.  During the Holy Mass, Jesus takes the bread and wine which we offer on the altar, offers it to God his Father and declares: “This is no longer your body, it is My Body; this is no longer your life’s blood, it is My Blood.”  The Eucharist is, thus, the re-present-ation of Jesus’ single and eternal dying for us, sacrificing himself for us, and calling us to perform the same sacrifice for others.