Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 18, 2024
Jesus said to the crowds:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world.”
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“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.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
One evening during my freshman year, I met a friend for dinner in South Dining Hall. We began discussing faith, and my friend—who was not Catholic at the time—asked me: “Do Catholics really believe that the Eucharist is Jesus Christ’s Body and Blood?” I told him that we did.
My friend was skeptical, but not because he had any scriptural or theological quibbles. Instead, he responded: “I want to believe that Jesus Christ is fully present in the Eucharist, and when I attend Mass, I see people profess that Christ is fully present. Yet I know how many of these people behave outside Mass. I don’t intend to pass judgment on anyone, but it seems hypocritical to say that Jesus Christ is truly with them and not live a life that reflects that.”
I often remember this conversation because I couldn’t argue with his logic. It provides a stark reminder that when we receive the Eucharist, we have Christ in us and are called to live accordingly. Particularly in light of our bishops’ call for a National Eucharistic Revival, today’s gospel serves to remind us that when we approach the altar at Mass, we are receiving Christ’s Body and Blood. So we must commit ourselves to living a life that reflects the graces we receive through the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Acknowledging Christ’s presence in the Eucharist goes beyond our time at Mass. Christ gave us his Body and Blood so we may become more like him and bring him to our workplaces, schools, and homes. How we live ought to reflect our belief that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist.
Prayer
O God, on this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, we stand with those who mourn the loss of loved ones and cling to Jesus’ promise that “those who eat my Flesh and drink my Blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.” May we come to appreciate the Eucharist as food for life’s journey and a pledge of the life to come. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Helen did more than perhaps any other female saint (aside from Mary) to spread the good news and establish the faith around the world.
She had humble beginnings—she was the daughter of an inn-keeper in ancient Rome. In about 270, the Roman general Constantius Chlorus met her at her family’s inn and married her. When he was made caesar, he was influenced to divorce her; by that time, Helen had already given birth to a son, Constantine.
When Constantius died, Helen’s son, Constantine, was acclaimed caesar by the army. Later, he was declared emperor, and in 313 issued the famous Edict of Milan, which ceased the persecution of Christians and promoted their toleration.
At about this time, Helen converted to the faith. Though she was 63 when she joined the Church, she had great zeal—it seemed as though she were making up for lost time. She wore simple, plain clothes to attend Mass at churches in Rome and supported the poor liberally with the resources at her disposal.
When Constantine’s power spread eastward, Helen visited Palestine to see the places where Jesus lived and died. She wanted to find those places and objects that were sacred to Christians and to preserve them for later generations. She is credited with finding the “true cross” on which Jesus was executed, and she built churches in Bethlehem, on the Mt. of Olives, and over the tomb of Jesus.
She spent the remainder of her life in the Holy Land—praying and supporting the Church there. She continued to live humbly, and when she met pilgrims, she showed them the greatest reverence—even serving them at table and washing their hands.
She used her position of power to support the poor and those who were suffering—wounded soldiers, mine workers, the imprisoned. She built churches and adorned many more. She died in 330.
The relics of St. Helen rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, as does a fragment from the true cross that she discovered (shown here in the small round window at the center of this wooden cross). She is depicted there in stained glass.
St. Helen, you discovered the true cross and used your power to support the Church, pray for us!