Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL BOAKYE YEBOAH

CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF KUMASI, GHANA.

THE BREAD OF LIFE

Jesus makes it very clear that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” The contemporary person may feel indifferent with this passage. Indifferent because some people are careless about religion in general let alone, details like a doctrine on the Eucharist. Some people do not want to enter into a church and if they do, they show little interest in the Eucharistic meal. I find it very disheartening when some communicants also show signs of indifference. Some communicants will come to church in a given day and may be moved to receive the Lord while on other days, they will decide not to receive the Lord.

On a happy note these people are in the minority in the Church because we still have billions of Catholics who will go against all odds to have access to the Eucharist, either to receive it or adore the Lord during a Eucharistic Adoration. In our part of the world, we still have some people who walk for miles before they can have access to the Eucharist. An elderly woman I recently encountered put the sacrifices she makes by walking to Mass to meet Jesus as her source of life. The faith of Catholics who believe in Jesus as their bread of life put energy in us (priests) to serve them the best as we can because their lives depend on it.

When Jesus makes the bold statement that we must drink his blood, we should try and put the statement within the Jewish context. In Jewish thought, the blood stands for life. As blood flows from a wound, life ebbs away: and to the Jews, the blood belonged to God. That is why to this day a kosher Jew will never eat any meat which has not been completely drained of blood. In the book of Genesis, Moses wrote, “only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood” (Genesis 9:4). The lawgiver goes on to state that “…its blood, however, you must not eat” (Deut. 15:23). Now see what Jesus is saying – “You drink my blood – you must take my life into the very centre of your being – and that life of mine is the life which belongs to God.” When Jesus said we must drink his blood, he meant that we must take his life into the very core of our hearts.

The image of the bread represents the identity of Christ very well. During the time of Christ, the Jews had other staple foods but it was the bread that Jesus used to identify himself. I would like to think that Jesus did that because of what the bread represents in our world and a few will be discussed here:

1. UNIVERSALITY

Bread is a universal brand to the extent that a manufacturer will need little or no publicity if (s)he wants to market his/her product. Bread has been part of human history for centuries. It plays an integral role in our daily life and is a symbol of culture, history, hunger, wealth, and mainly it is a symbol of Christology. It is indispensable and has been key in the history of human survival.

Bread is a universal food that exists in every country around the world. Since its formation, there are numerous types of bread that differ depending on where you’re from. Each has its own interesting culinary history.

In the Americas, the Mayans were an agricultural society and were known as ‘the men of corn.’ In their native language, ‘corn’ is referred to as ‘Ixim’ and became a staple food in their lifestyle. Modern day Mexican culture has adopted these traditions, and corn continues to be a popular part of Mexican dishes.

Chapati, also known as Roti, is a staple food in South Asian countries. For the Europeans, they first discovered the use of leavening bread and understood the brewing of beer and the process of baking leavened bread with the use of sourdough.

With all these examples, one can see that from time immemorial, bread has been associated with the sustenance of man. Therefore, when Christ describes himself as the bread of life, the picture can be clear. As one cannot do without bread in any part of the world so also people cannot do without Christ.

2. DESIRE

As many long to see bread on the breakfast table so also, they should long for Christ in their lives. Jesus in today’s gospel said that he is the bread of life and unless one eats of that bread (s)he cannot have life in him/her. If one wishes to prolong his/her life on earth then he ought to desire/long for Jesus the bread of life.

One should not desire for the bread of life only when (s)he is hungry or caught up in a life’s challenges but rather (s)he should desire him as a life’s companion. When some people travel, one staple food they bring along is bread. In the same vein, we are encouraged to bring Jesus with us on our life’s journey because he alone can sustain us and bless us with the required energy for the journey.

3. ITS CLASSLESSNESS

Bread cuts across all classes of people. At breakfast it can be found on the table of the rich and poor alike. It is accessible to all people. Likewise, Christ whose presence cuts across people of different classes. By associating himself with bread, Christ makes himself available to everybody. But his availability calls for one’s cooperation. He does not force himself on people but he is available to those who have faith in him. May Christ increase our faith in him. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP PRAY FOR US.