This is the will of the one who sent me: that I should not lose any of those he has given me but raise them all on the last day.’ Jesus remains in the Eucharist so that our hearts may be safe while we walk on earth, with our gaze fixed on heaven.
In this part of the Bread of Life story, Jesus encourages his listeners to take a leap of faith. Having fed them with earthly bread, he now wants them to long for heavenly bread. The Master wants to focus the crowd’s attention on the ultimate: eternal life. The people wanted Jesus to provide them with daily bread, but he wants them to understand that true security lies in placing our existence in his hands and allowing him to guide us towards eternity. ‘For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them on the last day.’
We strive so hard for earthly security! Yet we often find that it is fragile. Our hard-won gains can be lost through misfortune, but we can still be brought down when we see them disappear. Jesus does not want us to lose heart when faced with life’s setbacks. That is why he remains with us in the Eucharist, so that we may discover rest and safety in him, keeping our gaze fixed on heaven as we walk the earth.
The Church refers to the Eucharist as ‘a pledge of future glory’ (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1402). Jesus himself undertakes to open the gates of heaven to us if we receive the Eucharist devoutly throughout our lives. Ultimately, this is what has the greatest value; our successes or failures, changes of plans, etc., are relative. In contrast, the Eucharist offers a final, definitive life.
