WHEN Christ first told the Jews that He was “the bread of life” (John 6:35), they did not understand what He meant. The institution of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist would come much later, and the Christians would then understand how true those words were.
“He who comes to Me will never be hungry; he who believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35).
Such is the power of the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Our Lord, that it should satisfy all the needs and yearnings of our soul on this Earth. Unfortunately, we fail to achieve all the good that we can from it because of our own lack of preparation or appreciation for this Sacrament of Love.
Jesus Christ has remained for us in the form of food and drink—in the form of nourishment. Saint Thomas Aquinas has explained an analogy here. Whatever material food does for the body, that is what the “bread of life” does for the soul. What does food do? It does not require a nutritionist to know this. We all have our common sense experience.
In the first place, nourishment gives us strength and energy. A hungry person is often sluggish and weak. He does not have the strength to undertake difficult tasks, and he finds it difficult to perform even normal tasks.
Secondly nourishment makes it possible for us to repair our bodies. A sick or wounded person has to be nourished well in order to recover. If necessary, he may have to be force-fed, or nourishment has to be provided by dextrose bottles.
Finally, good nourishment provides delight for a healthy person. The satisfaction one derives from a good meal is something wholesome—it forms part of God’s plan for man, who has to subdue the Earth for his needs.
Something similar takes place with our spiritual food. Communion gives us strength so that our spiritual life will not be weak and sluggish. A person with a strong spiritual life can perform difficult tasks and can do normal tasks well. He can practice the demands of the Christian life with ease and facility. He can overcome the temptations to sin that are always present in life.
If he should fall, the spiritual food will help him to recover more easily. He will more promptly repent of his sins and recover the grace of God. In fact, venial sins and imperfections can be overcome through fervent communion.
Finally, Holy Communion gives delight to the soul. The closeness of Christ and the power of grace can give the person many consolations, which can spur him on to more fervor.