The John 6 is commonly called the “bread of life” discourse. Jesus promises that he gives of his very self (“my flesh”) in the form of bread. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever. The Holy Eucharist is our way of having Jesus be really present. There is a saying attributed to Gandhi which serves almost as a commentary on the word of the Lord. “There are so many hungry people that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” As St. John later in the Gospel reminds us, there can be no breaking of the bread unless there is foot-washing, no Eucharist unless there is loving service. The Eucharist transforms us.
