Jesus said to the Jewish 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.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:51-58
Jesus’ words were shocking to those who first heard them, as they heard Jesus speak of believers eating his flesh and drinking his blood to have eternal life. There was quarreling and division among the people who heard His words. Jesus lost some disciples as well but among the twelve disciples they all remained firm in their belief of Jesus as the Holy One of God. Reflect today on the Holy Eucharist as the greatest Divine Mystery on earth. We consume the Eucharist to become the Mystical Body of Christ and have eternal life.