For the Life of the World

Gospel: John 6: 51-58

The Bread of Life discourse in John's Gospel is presented within the context of Jesus feeding a large crowd with bread and fish, a discourse wherein Jesus refers to how God fed Israel in the desert with bread and quail.  Jesus now offers himself for the life of the entire world as spiritual food that is to accompany the material food we are to provide for people as well.  The mission of the disciple is to distribute both bread and fish for people's material needs, and the bread of heaven for people's spiritual needs.

The distribution of the Lord's body proceeds along the same lines as the distribution of the loaves and fish.  Jesus commanded the disciples to feed the people.  He did not command them to undertake a series of interrogations as to whether someone was worthy or not.  He did not ask us to look for reasons to exclude others from the table of the Lord.  He told us to feed others.  The table of Jesus was open to all right to the very end, and the offering of himself was for the whole world, not a select few.  

As we celebrate this feast of Corpus Christi, we are invited to reflect and discern ways that we can feed people with the material food they need, and how we might feed people with the Eucharist in their spiritual need as well.  Today is a day for us to discern how we ourselves might be the body and blood of Christ poured out for others in our work of mercy and care for others in the world.  Today is a day for us to become what we eat, to do what we say we believe.