Before reading this lesson please read the introduction to Bread of Life Basics [Part I]
6. Ascension of the Lord – The Ascension of the Lord is “the entry of Jesus’ humanity into divine glory in God’s heavenly domain, forty days after his Resurrection.” [1]
“What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” (John 6:62).
The Ascension of Jesus into heaven is the 6th Article of the Apostle’s Creed. In the Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus speaks about His humanity and divinity. He says that He has come down from heaven and then prophesizes that He will ascend to where he was before.
The humanity of Christ is a distraction to many of the disciples. They see only His humanity and miss His divinity. It is at the Ascension, when His humanity enters into the divine glory of heaven, where the disciples witness His glory with their own eyes. There can be no question that Jesus is both man and God, human and divine. The Ascension also gives Christians hope that our human nature will one day enter into divine glory.
7. Proclamation – Proclamation is,
announcing Christ to the world, to make him known and loved by as many people as possible. The proclamation takes on many forms as there are many modes of communication from speaking to writing and especially reflecting the virtues of Christ in one’s one life and behavior. The proclamation is also the duty of every Christian. “Jesus Christ,” declared Saint John Paul II, “is the stable principle and fixed center of the mission that God has entrusted to man. We must all share in this mission and concentrate all our forces on it, since it is more necessary than ever for modern mankind” (Redemptor Hominis, 11). [2]
“You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me” (John 6:45). “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63).
The Christian is only able to proclaim, because Christ first proclaimed. Christ is not only the reason we proclaim, He is also what we proclaim. Why is the proclamation of Christ trustworthy? As is stated in the Act of Faith, “…I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches because you [God] have revealed them who are eternal truth and wisdom, who can neither deceive nor be deceived…” [3] God is eternal truth and wisdom and can neither deceive nor be deceived. Since Jesus is God, Jesus is also eternal truth and wisdom and can neither deceive nor be deceived. Jesus said, “I am way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father” (John 14:6-7).
Since Jesus is God, He is also eternal and therefore has the “words of eternal life.” His words give “spirit and life” (John 6:63). Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote, “What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do; Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.” [4]
8. Real Presence – The Real Presence is,
the unique, true presence of Christ in the Eucharist under the species or appearances of bread and wine. The Church invites the faithful to deepen the faith in the Real Presence of Christ through adoration and communion at the Eucharistic liturgy, and through adoration outside its celebration. [5]
“…and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51). “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…” (John 6:52-54). “For my flesh is true food, and my flood is true drink” (John 6:55). “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (John 6:56). “…the one who feeds on me will have life because of me” (John 6:57).
In the Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus says, “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:55). He says to the disciples, “…the one who feeds on me will have life…” (John 6:57). He tells them his flesh is true food and that they must feed on Him, but He does not give them a chance or way to “feed” on Him. He is promising a meal, but not providing the food.
At the Last Supper, one year after the Bread of Life discourse, Jesus gives the Apostles a chance to feed on Him. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, ‘Take and eat; this is my body’” (Matthew 26:26).
At the Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus says, “My body is true food…” (cf. John 6:55), but He does not give them a way to eat His body. At the Last Supper, Jesus says, “Take and eat, this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). It is only at the Last Supper then that the Bread of Life discourse makes sense. It is at the Last Supper, perpetuated at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, where Jesus gives us His Sacred Body under the appearance of bread.
9. Resurrection of the Body – Resurrection of the Body is,
the universal return to life of all human beings, to occur soon before the last judgment by God’s almighty power. Each individual soul will be reunited with the selfsame body with which it was united on earth. While all the dead will rise, only the just will have their bodies glorified. [6]
“And this is the will of the one who sent me that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day” (John 6:39). “…everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day” (John 6:40). “No one can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him, and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:44). “…and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:54).
The Resurrection of the Body is the 11th Article of the Apostles Creed. We are only able to be raised up by the power of Jesus Christ. Saint Paul teaches, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
It is very clear from the Bread of Life Discourse that Jesus will raise the Christian on the last day. This would seem to be an impossible claim, but His own Resurrection is proof that He can do what He claims to do.
10. Life Eternal – Life Eternal is,
the term used by Christ to describe the state of endless happiness enjoyed by the just in heaven (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:44; Luke 18:30; John 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12). It means not only everlasting duration but also fullness of life, which the believer possesses already here and now through participation in the life of God. [7]
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life” (John 6:40). “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). “…this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die” (verse 50). “…whoever eats this bread will live forever…” (John 6:51). “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…” (John 6:54). “…whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:58).
The 12th Article of the Apostle’s Creed is everlasting life. Jesus says, “I come so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). What does having life abundantly mean? Abundant comes from the Latin word abundare, which means to overflow. The most abundant, overflowing life possible is the divine life of God, which the Christian participates in now. In other words, eternal life begins now! Another characteristic of abundant life is that it lasts for eternity.
Many times we can regret and dwell far too much on past sin. We must repent, and move past the years which lacked the abundant life, the Life of Christ. We must instead dwell on what Christ is offering us now and in the future, a life of grace. He offers us eternal life. Christ is in front of us, let us sit at his feet listening to Him speak. Abundant life awaits as Saint Paul says, “Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Jesus is salvation. He is the one thing necessary, no matter what our past is, no matter how many years we have lived lacking abundance, it is never too late to go in the right direction. When we chose the abundant life, when we choose Christ, life will not be taken from us.
Since divine life cannot be taken from us, if we lose the divine life, there is only one conclusion – we gave it away; we gave it up. Jesus says to Martha regarding the choice of her sister Mary, “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Luke 11:42).
Saint Peter says, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68). This belief in God causes us to cry out exactly for what God wants from us; namely, praise, love and ultimately our very self. In the Eucharist we find praise, love and the gift of self. Jesus is waiting for us to praise Him, love Him, and to await His coming.
Satan is the thief that comes, “only to steal and slaughter and destroy…” (John 10:10). God “wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Satan would like for us to focus on a few years of sin and become so enthralled in those years that we lose our focus on eternal life. He would rather us focus on the temporal years, rather than the eternal years. He would also like us to believe that we are unworthy and unable to gain life, both now and for all eternity.
Eternal life is associated with both believing, “…whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47) and acting, “whoever eats this bread will live forever…” (John 6:58). Both faith and charity are necessary for life eternal, and it is through grace that we are able to do both.