Food for the Journey
Blessed Pope Paul VI wrote, “He [Christ] is present in the Church as she moves along on her pilgrimage with a longing to reach the portals of eternal life…” [1]  All of us are pilgrims. Our pilgrimage destination is Heaven. There is food given that helps us to be holy and successful on the pilgrimage. Sometimes on this pilgrimage we find our self alone, as Elijah [2] found himself. In his loneliness as well as in ours, food for the journey is offered.  We also understand that while on pilgrimage, we are part of a community, like the Israelites [3] wandering in the desert, who were sustained by God’s mercy.

In the hymn below, O food of travelers, mentions “angel’s bread” which sustained Elijah and “Manna” which sustained the Israelites. The second stanza makes reference to the “water from the rock” given to the Israelites at Massah and Meribah. Jesus is the Bread of Angels, the Manna from Heaven and the Rock from which the fount of life flows. In its final stanza, the hymn sets before us the goal of our pilgrimage, heaven, which is the presence of Christ unveiled.

O food of travelers, angels’ bread,
Manna wherewith the blest are fed,
Come nigh, and with thy sweetness fill
The hungry hearts that seek thee still.

O fount of love, O well unpriced,
Outpouring from the heart of Christ,
Give us to drink of very thee,
And all we pray shall answered be.

O Jesus Christ, we pray to thee
That this presence which we see,
Though now in form of bread concealed,
To us may be in heaven revealed.

Three Passovers

The Passover (Pasch) was the central feast in the life of Israel.
The Jewish Pasch celebrated annually at God’s command to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt. Its main feature was the sacrificial meal, ending with eating the paschal lamb, followed by the seven-day Feast of the Unleavened Bread. At the time of Christ the Passover meal united the Jewish family from sunset to midnight on the fifteenth of Nisan. Its last celebration by the Savior was the occasion for instituting the Eucharist and the priesthood of the New Law. [4]

In the Gospels, three Passovers are recorded during the public ministry of Jesus. The first, is around the time of the Baptism of the Lord and Cleansing of the Temple. The second, one year prior to His Passion, Death and Resurrection,  is near the time of the Feeding of the 5000 and Bread of Life Discourse. The third and final passover of Jesus is the Last Supper. The Church presents these events each year on Corpus Christi Sunday.  In Cycle A and C, we read about the feeding of the 5000, one year prior to the Last Supper. In Cycle B, we read about the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist.

The Baptism of the Lord, takes place at the time of Passover, two years prior to the Last Supper. At the Baptism of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). It is in the context of the crowds taking their sacrificial lambs to Jerusalem for Passover that John proclaims these words. We are reminded of this Passover during the Communion Rite of the Mass when the priest says, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” [5]

The miracle of the feeding of the 5000, followed by the Bread of Life discourse, takes place at the time of Passover, one year prior to the Last Supper. We are reminded of this Passover during the presentation and preparation of the gifts of the Mass, when we offer ourselves, just as the young boy offered “five barley loaves and two fish” (cf. John 6:9). The Last Supper, takes place at the time of Passover, the night before Jesus will be crucified. At each Mass we are present at the Last Supper and the Last Supper is re-presented to us. It is during the Eucharistic prayer during the words of consecration that the words of Jesus are spoken,
Take, this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you…Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me. [6]
 
The most important questions…and answers!

“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (John 6:52)

This question is asked at the Bread of Life Discourse, which takes place after the feeding of the 5000. This is a great question. If we were there, we might ask the same question. Some of those who heard believed that it was impossible and they walked away. (cf. John 6:66). What is the response of the faithful? How did the Apostles respond? Did they understand? No. What is the difference in their response? They had faith! They did not know how Jesus would give them His flesh, but they believe that He would. This is only possible for God. For those who believe that Jesus Christ is just man, walk away now, because what He is saying He will do is impossible. However, if He is God, stay, because it is possible.

Where do we find the answer to the question, “How will he give us his body?” The Apostles had to wait one year to get the answer. How long do we have to wait for our answers? How many times do we struggle saying to Jesus, “I don’t know how you are going to do this, but I believe”. Sometimes we have to wait a year, or more, but we stick with Jesus, even if we are confused and even if we are mad. We wait.

The Apostles wait, follow and believe. A year later, they sit down with Jesus at the Passover. He takes bread and says “This is my Body” (cf. Matthew 26:26). This is how He is going to give His flesh. The Apostles must have remembered a year prior when He said He would give them His flesh. Some people doubted and walked away.

“Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” (John 6:5)

At the miracle of the feeding of the 5000, Saint Philip asks this question to our Lord. How will Jesus feed the people? The question is answered when Jesus takes “…the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he [Jesus] said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.” (Matthew 14:19). He feeds the 5000 with mere bread. He will feed all generations with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

How will He give His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity to all generations?

The Last Supper was not just for the Apostles. They were not the only ones that would benefit from the Holy Communion. Jesus feeds all generations by instituting the Mass. Just as the disciples gave bread to the crowds (cf. Matthew 14:19), they will now feed all generations through the authority and power of Holy Orders given to them by Christ as He says to them “…do this in memory of me…” (cf. Luke 22:19). Saint Paul says, “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24). The Eucharist is “handed on”, it is a tradition, from the Latin traditio, which means to give or deliver.
When the priest says, “This is my body” It is not that priest’s body. The priest is in persona Christi. The words of Consecration are the exact words of Christ and it is for this reason that a miracle occurs. After the epiclesis, the calling down of the Holy Spirit, the words of Consecration take place. It is at this moment that the priest leans on the altar with his forearms. [7] He is bearing the weight of the Cross, the sins of the world. When he does this there is actually a shadow that is cast over the elements of the bread and wine. The shadow reminds us of when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, and she conceived the Word made Flesh in her womb. Now at the Mass, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the words of Jesus Christ, the bread becomes the Body of Christ. At the words of Consecration, the priest actually holds the host so close to his mouth that the words, “This is my Body” can make a vibration on the host. The words affect the host. The Holy Trinity is present, the words of the Son, the power of the Holy Spirit and the offering given to the Father.

Eucharist, Blessed Sacrament, and Holy Communion.

Below definitions are given for each word so that the reader might better understand the meaning of the words and why one might be used rather than another in certain cases.” [8]

Eucharist - The true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, who is really and substantially present under the appearances of bread and wine, in order to offer himself in the sacrifice of the Mass and to be received as spiritual food in Holy Communion. It is called Eucharist, or "thanksgiving," because at its institution at the Last Supper Christ "gave thanks," and by this fact it is the supreme object and act of Christian gratitude to God.

Blessed Sacrament - The Eucharist as one of the seven sacraments instituted by Christ to be received by the faithful. Unlike the other sacraments, however, the Eucharist is not only a sacrament to be received but also a sacrament to be adored before, during, and after reception. It is therefore a permanent sacrament, since Christ remains in the Eucharist as long as the physical properties of the species of bread and wine remain essentially unchanged.

Holy Communion - The Eucharist is the sacrament that preserves the soul's union with God and fosters that union by making a person more holy especially in the practice of the supernatural virtue of charity. As a sacrament of the living, to obtain the graces intended, a person must be in the state of God's friendship when receiving, otherwise the reception becomes a sacrilege (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). The union of the communicant with Christ in the Eucharist is effective in the moral order. Though physically present in the communicant, Christ is not physically united with him. Only the consecrated species, since they alone can come in contact with material things, are physically united with the communicant. Communion aims specifically at producing a likeness to Christ in the communicants. Their acts of mind and will, as a result of Communion, are to become more conformable to the acts of Christ's mind and will. Their body, too, is to become more like Christ's sacred body. This is the primary purpose of the sacrament, a special union of the soul with Christ. What is special about this union is that the Eucharist is extraordinarily powerful in conferring actual graces that prompt a person to make acts of love for God and one's neighbor. Moreover, these graces inspire one to live for Christ habitually, even under great difficulties, as shown by the readiness to love the unlovable, and to promote loving community in spite of great natural diversity. The secondary purpose of Communion is to assimilate the body of the communicant to the body of Christ in two ways: it curbs or mitigates all disordered passions, especially those against chastity, and it confers a new title to the final resurrection of the body in heavenly glory. A final effect of Communion is to remove the personal guilt of venial sins, and the temporal punishment due to forgiven sins, whether venial or mortal.