The highlight of the Bread of Life discourse (John 6) might be these words of Jesus: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Receiving the Eucharist has been a foundational element of Catholic spirituality from the very beginning. It is somewhat surprising, therefore, when Jesus says just a few verses later: “It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.” Flesh is of no avail? Even as the food of eternal life? Jesus is warning against a mechanical or even magical understanding of the Eucharist. If the motivation for receiving the “flesh and blood” of Jesus is not spiritual it is an empty gesture. The late Pope Francis talked about the importance of encounter. The central encounter for Catholics happens when we meet Jesus in a spiritual way when we as the Body of Christ receive Holy Communion.
