Flesh and Blood

If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread, shall live for ever.
John 6:52-59 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Reflection:

Flesh and blood doesn't sound to appetizing, but many of us do eat flesh and blood in the food we buy from the store. Unless of course you are a true Vegan (vegetarian-sans any animal meat products whatsoever). Any way these products we buy have come from flesh and blood creatures and we have no problem eating them. I think it's because we know the source of where they came from it's easier to digest. Unlike the bread we eat at communion time. That is a wafer we see, but the divine presence is there when it is consecrated. We then eat of the true flesh and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is knowing in our heart the sacrifice Jesus made for us that we believe in His presence. I've had the pleasure to receive in communion this beautiful presence when the host beat upon my tongue as a heart beats in our bodies. It turned to flesh and when that happened I knew that our Lord had graced me with the truth of eating of his flesh. I've had this grace happen several times and truth to tell, I would love to have received him this way all the time, but it was enough for me to know the difference and to witness to this truth.