John 6:53

Jesus continues speaking to the crowd.  He says, “The bottom line is this: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will have no life in you.”  John 6:53 EFP

In my estimation this is one of the most graphic statements ever made by Jesus.  He does not blink an eye as he adds these words.  Eat and live.  Drink and live.  How do you write or say that without it sounding repulsive or objectionable?   How do you soften, “Unless you eat the Son of Man and drink his blood you will not live”?  You can’t!

It is what it is.  It is a spiritually filtered concept.  It cannot be internalized without it becoming distasteful to begin with before it makes sense at a very deep level.  Still, it sounds foreign to anyone who does not belong to the community of faith.  The Catholic faith claims the Eucharist contains the actual body and blood of Christ when consumed by the officiating priest.  Is that what Jesus is saying?  It certainly tidies up the question, doesn’t it?  This is how you get life—through the sacrament of the church.  That is solid Catholic theology.  But is unleashes a brand new set of problems, not the last of which is the created (the priest) creating the creator (the body and blood of Christ).  One thing for certain.  There is no middle ground in this statement of Jesus.  There is no lazy and passive place to land.  It shocks you into a commitment or to a rejection, based on your understanding of the mandate.

Bottom line for me?  I want to live, not just forever—that would a cruel and tortuous existence if there was not meaning in life, but to live a life worth living, with meaning and moments of sheer joy and fulfillment, without the dark side of life I know all too well in this chaotic orb. Feed me, Lord!