Institution of the Eucharist

Institution of the Eucharist Meditation
The Fifth Luminous Mystery

The Institution of the Eucharist

In  John  6:51,  while  Jesus was teaching the Jews  at  the synagogue  in  Capharnaum,  He  gave  us  the  first  Eucharistic Doctrine.  He called Himself “The Bread of Life”.

“I  Myself am the Living Bread come down from heaven.   If anyone eats this bread, he shall live forever; the bread I will give is My Flesh, for the life of the world.’

At  this the Jews quarreled among themselves,  saying,  ‘How can he give us his flesh to eat?’  Thereupon Jesus said to them:

‘Let Me solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you.’”

After  saying  this,  He lost most of His  followers.   They couldn’t live with this statement.   Jesus,  God-Man, had to have known what would happen.  In His humanness, He knew what He should do.   But He knew what He had to do.   It would have been so much easier for Him to call them all back,  and say “Wait a minute.  I wasn’t serious.  I was just testing you.”  But He was serious.  He couldn’t compromise the truth.  He knew the tremendous task He had  to accomplish,  and the short time available to get it done. If this controversial statement were not true,  as so many  would have  us believe,  why did He risk all that He had accomplished?  Why was He not willing to back down from it? Even  after  they questioned  Him  on it,  saying,  “This sort of talk is  hard  to endure.   How  can  anyone take it seriously?”,  His comment  was “Does it shake your faith?”

Jesus was so firm on this point that He was even willing  to lose the Apostles.  This was the moment of decision for them.  He asked the twelve apostles, “Will you leave Me also?”  Peter said, “Where are we to go ?  You have the words of everlasting life?”

From Capharnaum to the Cenacle,  the cycle is completed.  On Holy Thursday evening,  in the Upper Room at the Last Supper,  we were given the gift,  the everlasting gift of the Flesh and Blood of Jesus.  We can go to any of the Synoptic Gospel writers.  We will quote from St. Luke.  In Luke 22:19, we read:

“Then taking bread and giving thanks,  He

Open by Steve Bailey