Some great men and women leave their memoirs to posterity. Others leave libraries and still others leave monuments to their achievements or teachings. Jesus was the only great spiritual figure to leave His “flesh to eat” and “His blood to drink.” These words in today’s Gospel may astonish us as it did his first disciples. But let us understand Jesus’ motivation. He didn’t want to just leave a message but to leave something to concretely demonstrate His love for us. He wanted to leave us Himself. He was very clear about this as He said: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life within you … For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” A remarkable concept that even the disciples took some time to understand the greatness of what Jesus said and did.
When we go up to the altar to receive Holy Communion, the Body of Christ, don’t come with questions of how this can be. But approach with wonder and gratitude for God’s love in this sacrificial meal. Appreciate the depth of His love and much of the mystery will be clear. That Jesus gave us His body and blood is not cause for doubt and questioning as it is a call to return His love through the lives we live. If we understand the true nature of love, we will understand.