Let’s continue our discussion on the Eucharist as a source of life. In other words, life in the Eucharist. We’ve seen that in the New Testament, life is often understood as a profound, spiritual state of being that transcends mere physical existence and is closely linked to heavenly realities. How do these concepts relate to Jesus’ message in John chapter six?
John 6 and Life
One sees, then, that to understand Jesus’s teaching on the Eucharist as life, one must reflect in what senses the New Testament uses life. It is not just the merely biological, corruptible existence, but the life that lives on beyond the grave. Life is a state of eternal joy, a blessed divine presence, and existence in divine communion. This eternal nature of life is the key to the answer, providing reassurance to the soul that hungers for heavenly food.
Returning to John 6, Jesus identifies Himself as the bread of life. He is the source and sustainer of life far greater than the manna given to the Israelites. In John 6:51, He declares, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
In this profound declaration, Jesus presents Himself as the living essence, the very source of life, and life as heaven—the ultimate union with God, for God Himself is heaven. However, much like preceding discussions (vs 31-40), His audience struggles to understand, murmuring in confusion. They fail to grasp that life in Christ transcends mere temporal existence; it is eternal life that does not perish. Everlasting!
If life were merely about our physical, perishable existence, then it would be no different from the manna that the Israelites ate in the wilderness, which sustained them only temporarily before they died. But Jesus offers something infinitely greater—life that is eternal. It is life that is sustained not just in this world but forever in God.
Fruits of the Eucharist as Life
What are the effects of this life that Jesus promises through the Eucharist? By partaking in the Eucharist—by eating His flesh and drinking His blood—we receive: 1) eternal life (John 6:53-54a), 2) resurrection (John 6:54b), 3) sustenance, delight, and joy (John 6:55), 4) a divine-human bond, union, and deification (John 6:56), which is both personal and communal, and 5) immortality (John 6:58).
Jesus describes this life as an active, living force within us. When we receive his body and blood, we bear within us the force of regeneration and the power of sanctified sustenance. Those who partake in Him receive the ability to bear fruits that lead to eternal life—fruits of communion with God and love for others, as implied in the promise to “live forever” (John 6:58). Our lives continue to bear witness to this divine life through acts of charity, for as 1 John 4:16 reminds us, “God is love.”
The Church Affirms
The themes we’ve explored are not just theological musings; they are deeply rooted in the Church’s official teachings as presented in the Catechism. The Catechism, particularly in paragraphs 1391-1401, outlines at least eight rich fruits of Holy Communion that reflect our faith’s essence. The teachings are prefaced by one of the strongest statements about the Eucharist, namely, as “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC, 1324; 1324-1327). They draw from the systematic teachings elaborately discussed in the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.
These fruits include union with Christ (CCC 1391), spiritual nourishment (CCC 1392), and separation from sin (CCC 1393). Also, they are strengthening of charity (CCC 1394), preservation from mortal sin (CCC 1395), and unity with the Church (CCC 1396). In addition, the fruits include commitment to the poor (CCC 1397), unity among Christians (CCC 1398), “close intimacy” with Eastern Churches (CCC 1399), and sacramental grace for other Christians in grave necessity under specific conditions (CCC 1400-1401).
The Catechism clarifies that the principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist is an intimate union with Christ—a union so profound that it is foundational for eternal life. As CCC 1391 cites the Lord’s word in John 6:56. “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.” Theme 4, the union and bonding with God, aligns perfectly with this Church’s teaching. It is ultimately the state of heaven—eternal life (Theme 1).
The Catechism Explains
Moreover, CCC 1391 emphasizes that when the faithful receive the Body of the Son during the feasts of the Lord, they proclaim the Good News that the first fruits of life, particularly the resurrection, have been given. This message is powerfully symbolized in the angel’s words to Mary Magdalene, “Christ is risen!” The Eucharist is intrinsically linked to the promise of resurrection (Theme 2).
CCC 1392 beautifully describes how the Eucharist accomplishes in our spiritual life what material food does in our bodily life. It preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace, providing the nourishment that supports the growth of Christian life. The teaching here corresponds directly with the themes of sustenance and delight (Theme 3).
The Catechism also delves into the divine-human bonding and the deification effect of the Eucharist. CCC 1391 mentions that by receiving the Eucharist, we abide in Christ, and Christ abides in us, establishing an intimate union with Him (Theme 4). CCC 1396 further explains how the Eucharist builds the Church and unites us closely with Christ and all the faithful, making this bond both ecclesial and personal.
Lastly, the Catechism emphasizes the Eucharist’s power in guiding us to immortality. CCC 1392 links the Eucharist to the life of grace and its renewal, which sustains us until death and ultimately leads us to immortality through Christ (Theme 5).
Church Fathers Draw Home the Points
The teachings of the Church Fathers echo these themes, as well. In his response to the Docetists (a heretic group in the early church who believed that Jesus only seemed to have a physical body but did not), Saint Ignatius of Antioch (108-135/140 AD) emphasizes the Eucharist’s role in the resurrection. In his Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, he writes passionately about how partaking in the Eucharist prepares us for eternal life.
A third century North African Saint Cyprian speaks eloquently about the union and bond the Eucharist creates in us. He says, “Therefore we beg for our bread, i.e., Christ, to be given to us every day, in order that we who remain and live in Christ may not recede from His sanctification and Body” (On the Lord’s Prayer).
Saint Gregory of Nyssa (335-394 AD) in his Oratio Catechetica, chapter 37, also highlights this union and the incorruptibility that results from partaking in the Eucharist.
Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390 AD) offers a stirring exhortation in his Oratio: “Doubt not when thou hearest of the Blood of God, but without taking scandal unhesitatingly eat the Body and drink the Blood, if thou desirest to have life.” This teaching underscores the truth that life is found in partaking of Christ’s flesh and blood.
Saint Hilary of Poitiers (310-367 AD) adds to this understanding in his thesis On the Trinity: “And these when eaten and drunk, bring it to pass that both we are in Christ and Christ in us.”
Other Church Fathers
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386 AD), in the last two chapters of his Catecheses Mystagogicae, emphasizes the profound union with God and Christ that the Eucharist brings: “in order that through the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ thou mayest become of one body and blood with Him.” This union is not just a spiritual connection; it results in joy and the “gladness of the soul.”
Saint John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) is often revered as the doctor of the Eucharist. He writes extensively on the transformative power of the Eucharist. In his sermons on 1 Corinthians 10:13, he describes how the Eucharist brings heaven to earth. “Now you behold the same Body which the wise men adored in the manger, lying upon the altar; you also know its virtue and salutary effect…. Already in the present life, this mystery changes the earth for you into Heaven; the sublimest thing that is there—the Body of the Lord—you can behold here on earth. Yea, you not only behold it, but you touch it and eat it.”
In another work, Homilies on Matthew, Chrysostom emphasizes the union with Christ we receive in the Eucharist. “He also commingleth Himself with us, and not by faith only, but also in very deed maketh us His body.” He goes on to say, “We become one mass with Him: we are become one body and one flesh with Christ.”
In Summary
Through these rich teachings of the Church Fathers, we see a consistent and powerful emphasis on the Eucharist as life, heaven, and the true source of life. This life is not just physical; it is eternal life, the resurrection, and an intimate union with God. Through partaking in the body and blood of Christ, we are transformed. We are sustained in our spiritual lives. Ultimately, Christ leads us to share in the divine life of the Trinity.
If So, What Next?
If this is true, and I believe it is, what does it mean for us as Catholics? What does it mean for Christians around the world? These questions challenge us to reflect deeply on our faith and the profound mystery of the Eucharist.
In the next week’s blog, I’ll discuss the implication of the teaching on the Eucharist as life in the final part of our series on the Eucharist. We’ll explore the implications for our daily lives, our communities, and the global Christian family. How does this divine truth transform us, and how are we called to live it out in our world today? Let’s uncover these answers together in the next reflection.
References
Chrysostom, John. “Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the First Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.” In Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians, edited by Philip Schaff, translated by Hubert Kestell Cornish, John Medley, and Talbot B. Chambers, vol. 12, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series, Christian Literature Company, 1889.
—. “Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople on the Gospel according to St. Matthew.” In Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, edited by Philip Schaff, translated by George Prevost and M. B. Riddle, vol. 10, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series, Christian Literature Company, 1888, p. 495.
—. Homilies on Matthew, Homily 82 [83], section 1 and following. Refer to Bardenhewer-Shahan, Patrology, pp. 341 and following; Nägle, A. Die Eucharistielehre des hl. Chrysostomus, pp. 8 and following, Freiburg, 1900.
Cyprian of Carthage. “On the Lord’s Prayer.” In Fathers of the Third Century: Hippolytus, Cyprian, Novatian, Appendix, edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, translated by Robert Ernest Wallis, vol. 5, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Christian Literature Company, 1886, p. 452.
Others
Cyril of Jerusalem. Catecheses Mystagogicae. Migne, Patrologia Graeca, vol. 33, 1857, pp. 1098 and following.
Gregory Nazianzen. “Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen.” In S. Cyril of Jerusalem, S. Gregory Nazianzen, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, translated by Charles Gordon Browne and James Edward Swallow, vol. 7, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, Christian Literature Company, 1894.
Gregory of Nyssa. “The Great Catechism.” In Gregory of Nyssa: Dogmatic Treatises, Etc., edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, translated by William Moore, vol. 5, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, Christian Literature Company, 1893, pp. 504 and following.
Hilary of Poitiers. “On the Trinity.” In St. Hilary of Poitiers, John of Damascus, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, translated by E. W. Watson et al., vol. 9a, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, Christian Literature Company, 1899, p. 141.
Ignatius of Antioch. Epistle to the Smyrnaeans. Edited by Funk, vol. 1, 1901, p. 241. Cited in Kirsopp Lake, The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, London, 1912, p. 259.
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