Hard sayings

 

Anyone who has read the New Testament knows that Jesus said some challenging things.  If we were to create a list of sayings most likely to be labeled as “hard,” certainly His teaching on divorce would be at the top of the list (Matthew 19:3−12, Mark 10:2−12, Luke 16:14−18).  Also, right at the top would be His strong statements about forgiveness—as in forgiving those who have wronged us “seventy times seven times.” (Matthew 18:22)

Yet, the words in the gospel of John refer to neither of those top contenders.  Rather, they’re spoken in reference to Jesus’ graphic words:  "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you.” (John 6:53).  For life-long Catholics, the words have a familiar sound.  But for His first century Jewish audience the shocking realism of the words would have been difficult to accept.  So difficult, that many of His followers abandoned Him.

There are generally three common attitudes people have toward the Most Holy Eucharist.  One attitude is that of profound faith. Another is that of indifference.  And a third is what we find in John’s Gospel: disbelief.  Those who walked away from Jesus did so because they said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”  What a great statement and question to ponder (John 6:60-69).

It’s true, in a certain way, that the teaching of Jesus on the Most Holy Eucharist is a hard saying. “Hard,” however, isn’t bad.  It’s hard in the sense that belief in the Eucharist is only possible through a faith that comes from a deep interior revelation from God.  In the case of those who walked away from Jesus, they heard His teaching, but their hearts were closed to the gift of faith.  They remained stuck on a purely intellectual level, and, thus, the idea of eating the Flesh and Blood of the Son of God was more than they could comprehend.  So who could accept such a statement?  Only those who listen to our Lord as He speaks to them interiorly.  It’s only that interior conviction that comes from God that can be proof of the truthfulness of the Holy Eucharist.

As Catholics, we believe that when we consume that which appears to be only “bread and wine,” we’re actually consuming Christ Himself.  It’s a hard saying and a difficult teaching, which is why it must be taken very seriously.  For those who don’t flat out reject this teaching, there’s also the temptation to be somewhat indifferent to the teaching.  It can easily be misunderstood to be just symbolism in the way our Lord talks.  But the symbolism is much more than just symbolism.  It’s a profound, challenging, and life-changing teaching of how we share in the divine and eternal life our Lord wishes to bestow upon us.