Solemnity of the
Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (“A”)

June 26, 2011

Q. 638: Can you connect the dots between the manna in the Old Testament and the living bread of life in the New Testament?

A. 638:
How strange it must have felt for the Israelites, fleeing from slavery and wandering in the desert, to encounter the gift of a special food, called manna, which would sustain their lives (Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a). It was strange because they were completely unfamiliar with this new food that would literally save them. It was special because it was a gift from God himself. But with the gift comes a message that calls for a response: a person does not live by material bread alone, but also needs to receive every word of God to truly live.

As always, the Old Testament texts find their fulfillment in the New Testament, in Jesus Christ. So in John’s gospel (John 6:51-58) we hear Jesus telling the crowd, “I am the living bread come down from heaven...the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh...the one who eats this bread will live forever... my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” Now, if their ancestors had thought that the special food called manna was strange, you can guess how the crowd reacted to this startling claim of Jesus. The crowd asked the obvious question of doubt (v.52): How? Many left because they lacked humility, a dependence upon God that would let them accept Jesus’ words, even though not understanding them. The apostles chose to remain, recognizing that even with their lack of comprehension of these strange words, Jesus was special: he had the words of eternal life and was the Holy One of God (6:68-69).

Many times a faith–contrast is drawn between Peter and Nicodemus. Nicodemus wanted clarity and certainty; he was not yet willing to step out in faith and believe in Jesus, so he went to him at night seeking understanding (at night to avoid controversy—his perception of risk to his leadership position in the Sanhedrin). Peter, on the other hand, made the faith–move. He had the humility to know his dependency on Jesus, and the humility to accept his word, as mysterious as it might be.

KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! The Early Fathers (such as Ignatius of Antioch) called the Eucharist the “medicine of immortality.” For believers, Christ himself is the bread furnished from heaven every day in Catholic Masses (CCC 2837).

Deacon Paul Rooney
Mary Our Queen Parish, Omaha

(Return to INDEX page of "Didja Know?" series)

(Go back to Deacon Paul's HOME PAGE)

Comments?