Most Holy Eucharist
1 Corinthians 11:23-32; John 6:48-54
Feast of our Lord. A day when the faithful are highly encouraged to participate in the Divine Liturgy.
Read John 6:48-54
During the forty-year journey in the desert, the Lord God taught the Hebrews to trust Him. They were extremely privileged to experience many miracles regularly. And one of the greatest occurred on a daily basis. The Lord nourished his people with manna—the bread of angels. They did not deserve or earn this gift but were given it purely out of God’s great love and care. The only way to show gratitude was through obedient faith and trust. These events were remembered and celebrated by every passing generation. Yet, all those who partook of the manna died. The Lord Jesus is inviting all those who hear his word into something more awesome than that of the wonders of the Old Testament. God desires to nourish everyone—not just a group of Hebrews in a particular moment in history—but everyone who believes in His Son.
The nourishment that the Lord gives us is the Eucharist— in it we receive Divine life and become partakers of the “Divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4). This is something much more powerful than manna, which was just a shadow of the real thing yet to come. This is why the Lord says, “truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” This is definitive teaching that is not up for negotiation or dispute. In other words, Holy Communion is not optional, but it should not be approached casually. It is not optional for the Lord commands us to receive. It should not be treated lightly because of the nature of who we receive: The all-powerful God who ‘is a consuming fire’ (Hebrews 12:29). For this reason when we come to receive let us be properly disposed and prepared lest we suffer like the Corinthians: “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Cor 11:30). We should always approach with the ‘fear of God’, that is with respect, with a contrite and humble heart and discerning the Eucharist properly. With faith that this is truly the real presence of the Lord, and trust that this is nourishment, not just the bread of the angels, but God sharing himself with me.