Commentary on the Gospel of
Becoming another Christ
In the Gospel today, Jesus tells his hearers that if they do not eat his flesh and drink his blood, they will not have life. “Whoever eats me will draw life from me.” Pope Francis reminds us that the Eucharist is not a mere symbol; it is the real presence of Jesus. When we partake of the bread and wine, our physical senses encounter the divine. It is an act of communion that unites us with Christ and with one another.
During this week, we have reflected on Chapter 6 of John and tried to comprehend the significance of Jesus' call to partake of his flesh and blood. This invitation entails fully integrating Jesus' way of thinking and behaving into our very essence, absorbing the entire person of Jesus. It involves being able to declare, like Paul, "I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me." "Whoever consumes my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."
The Body and Blood of Christ should not only be associated with receiving communion during the Eucharist. The Eucharist is primarily a communal celebration of our identity as brothers and sisters who embody the Body of Christ for one another and for the entire world. We receive Jesus's flesh and blood not only through the Word of God proclaimed during the Liturgy and the sharing of the Bread and the Cup, but also through every loving interaction within the community. Therefore, the Eucharist is incomplete without the presence of the Body of Christ—the community.
