Bread of Life

Saturday night of the National Eucharistic Congress, at the end of adoration as the priest processed out of the stadium with the monstrance, Matt Maher sang “Because He Lives.”  As he sang the words, “I’m alive because He lives”, I was reminded that Jesus in the Eucharist is life-giving.  We are not just physically alive because of Him, but we have life- life that is full and abundant and that cannot be found outside of Him.

In this weekend’s Gospel, we heard, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life: whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35).  Jesus tells us that He is the bread of life.  He gives us life, nourishes us, and sustains us.

The world around us offers us nothing good- temptation, sin, boredom to name a few things.  Life apart from Jesus is dull and meaningless, filled with endless activity that really has no purpose.  But Jesus gives us life so that we can go out and share that life with others; the joy, love, and peace that comes from a life in Him.

When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, or sit before Him in eucharistic adoration, the longing and hunger in our hearts are satisfied.  And if we have faith and live how He commands us to, we will hopefully one day experience an everlasting fulfillment that we were made for, in eternal life.
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Jesus, fully present in the eucharist changes our lives, if we have faith and allow Him to.  And when we experience the power of His real presence, we will be filled with life.  May we all remember that Jesus is the bread that sustains us and we are truly alive because He lives.