THE MEAL IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. Without Eucharist there is no fuller understanding of God as Trinity. The God of communion (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) can be understood only with our communion with God through the Eucharist. We have statues and art works that depict Jesus, our lady and other saints. They are all only pointers to what they signify. Eucharist is not a sign that points to Jesus rather it is Jesus: He is really present there. By affirming the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist we are not limiting the presence of Jesus to that small host/wafer. God is present everywhere. The believer can feel the presence of God at anywhere and at any time. As material beings we need something more than a feeling. We need some tangible way of experiencing God. God knowing the thirst of humans to experience God materially sent His Son Jesus in human form (as a material being). God desired not to limit the material presence of Jesus to a particular place and within a particular time in history. His desire to extend the material presence of Jesus to whole humanity until the end of time resulted in the institution of the Holy Eucharist. In the host we don’t see Jesus but He is there. We believe that beneath that small wafer Jesus is tangibly present and He enters into our soul in that white host. Our belief in Eucharist is not based on Eucharistic miracles. Those miracles are only a confirmation of our belief. They are mercy of God to reach out to the unbelief. Our belief in the Eucharist is the very essence of our Christian faith.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus feeds the five thousand by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fishes. Before this miracle, Jesus was preaching about the Kingdom of God. In the Old Testament we read that after the Sinai covenant the people of Israel had meal, as a sign of celebration and as a consummation of the covenant (Ex 24:11). In the New Testament Jesus many times spoke about meal in the Kingdom of God (Mt 22:1-14). The Kingdom of God is nothing but a life in Jesus: restoration of peace between God and Man. when we enter that Kingdom, we need to have a meal to celebrate our membership and also as a sign of our response to the invitation of God to be part of His kingdom. Israel were fed by God in the wilderness for forty years. They could not have any distraction in the wilderness because every day they were being fed by God Himself. Besides, there were no stranger living in the wilderness who could possible influence them to be away from God. The only temptation they had was their past memory of their life in Egypt which led them to make a golden calf and offer worship. The life in the Kingdom of God is like that of the life of Israelites in the wilderness. As believers we are already into the Kingdom of God but we are not completely away from the evil forces. We have lots of distraction and noises which could detract us from God in a severe way. To sustain in the Kingdom of God without being lured by the worldly extravagance we need the help of God. Eucharist is that help.

In the Old Testament, Covenant is made between two parties by cutting the animal into two and placing those two pieces on either sides so that the blood of the animal may flow between the pieces. The two parties would walk on the blood to make/ratify the covenant. The God of Israel made the covenant with His people on Mount Sinai by sprinkling the blood of the animal on the altar and on the people (Ex 24:6-8). In the New Testament, Jesus makes new covenant with the people of God not by cutting any animal into two nor by sprinkling of the any animal’s blood, rather by cutting His own body and shedding of His own blood on the Cross. In today’s Gospel Jesus breaks the bread after the blessing. Same gesture happens during the Last Supper: Jesus breaks the bread after saying the blessing. In both the places the breaking of the bread is not necessary but Jesus does so to symbolize that His body would be broken and be given to the people as true food. When the priest breaks the sacred host into two in Holy Mass and says, “this is the Lamb of God …” the priest declares to the faithful that the body of Jesus is broken into two so that His blood may flow into us to make the covenant. The priest ends by saying, “blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb”. The reception of Eucharist is the meal in the Kingdom. As members of the Kingdom of God we are blessed to have meal which is true body and blood of Jesus (God) Himself.

In this era, the sacrament of Eucharist is under severe crisis due to the invisible reality of Jesus in the Eucharist. Jesus said to Thomas that blessed are those who believe without seeing (Jn 20:29). He did not say, “blessed are those who see to believe”.  After seeing we don’t need to believe because the reality is there already. To believe is to uphold something which we don’t see, at the same time that which is not impossible. As we keep the feast of Corpus Christi (the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) let us resolve to receive the Eucharist as often as possible. As St. Paul says as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Cor 11:26). To live up to the values of the Kingdom of God we need food (Eucharist) that sustains our energy. To be a member of God’s Kingdom we need to eat the meal that God offers us – the Eucharist. Let us be regular communicants (receivers of the Eucharist).