More Gospel Talk - 5/25/2026

The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, before it was published in its entirety, was published on a book by book basis. The project took about 25 years, and now all these wonderful study aids are under one cover.

Good morning friends. I wasn't due to blog today. Generally speaking, I aim for one per week. I know, I've been absent. Let's call today making up for lost time.

On my walk yesterday, I'd just posted the previous blog piece, I found myself thinking about John, Chapter 6: The Bread of Life Discourse. I may have recounted some of this in the past, I can't remember. If I have, indulge me.

About 20 or 25 years ago, we were at Mass at Mother of Good Council Church in Louisville. Mother of Good Council has moved since then, but at the time it was still at the old Westport Road location. The Gospel reading that day was the Bread of Life Discourse to which I just referred. As the priest was reading the Gospel, he before my eyes became Jesus. I am sure as the day is long, that I heard Jesus Himself say the words. He was looking right at me. I was a little like the Apostles must have been when the risen Jesus first appeared to them. I was a little confused and, honestly, not sure what was going on. But afterward, upon reflection, I was and am certain of it. Jesus spoke to ME.

The Bread of Life Discourse, for me, is the most important part of the most important book ever written: The Holy Bible. I'm pasting The Gospel of St. John, Chapter 6, 32-71 here, with Jesus's words in red. I invite you to read it and reflect on it. For the aforementioned reason, it is my favorite part of sacred scripture.

32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; 39 and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.” 59 This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you that do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 

66 After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. 67 Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was to betray him.

Something I find perplexing, and I know this will not sit well with some readers, but I'm sorry, this is just what I believe, what we, as Catholics believe. In fact, before I write this next bit, let me preface it in this way. This is particularly for non-Catholics, for my Protestant brothers and sisters. Please read this carefully and twice, before you continue:

The Catholic Church does not claim to be the only way to get to Heaven. All believers who believe that, and accept, Jesus as their Savior, and who believe that Baptism and faith in Jesus Christ is the key to Heaven have a place there, in Heaven. The Catholic Church does not claim to have sole proprietorship of the path to eternal life. Furthermore, the Catholic Church has problems, and has had problems historically. I am not claiming it to be perfect. I could go on, but I hope I have made this point clear.

All that being true, I do NOT understand how so many denominations have determined that the Eucharist and Holy Communion are a symbolic act only, and not truly the body and blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ. People take a sentence here or there from the Bible and give it a literal interpretation to argue all manner and sort of theological issues. But here we have the words of Jesus Himself, St. John using a full 2/3 of a chapter to teach us. And, yes, it is a difficult teaching. From the moment Jesus said it, right up till today, people have walked away at this important teaching. How important was it?

Matthew 26:26-28:

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the* covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Mark 14:22-25:

22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of thec covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 22:19-20:

19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."

1 Corinthians 11:23-29:

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is fors you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.

In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus instructs us on the meaning of the Last Supper sharing of bread and wine. In all three of the other gospels, and in an important Epistle of St. Paul, Jesus's words at the Last Supper ring loud and clear. I read them as an imperative, to something, anything less. At Mass, for those of you unfamiliar, in what we call Eucharistic Prayer Number 3, immediately before consecrating the Host and Chalice, the priest says:

"Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the Body and Blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries."

If Jesus's words are indeed imperative: "Do this," candidly, to quote St. Peter: to whom shall I go? I believe Jesus's teaching in John Chapter 6 is of the utmost importance of my faith. I believe the Last Supper narratives in the other gospels and in St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians are an imperative. I believe from the earliest days of Christianity, nearly 1500 years BEFORE the reformation, Christians have solemnly and faithfully celebrated the Eucharist as being the literal Body and Blood of Jesus.

I believe it. How can I not? I am not ashamed of it. How could I be? What is more important?

Oh, by the way, the picture of the Ignatius study on John is something I bought before the full Bible became available. If someone wants it and will truly use it to study The Gospel of St. John, I will make it available to you. It is a VERY Catholic treatment of John, including citations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Drop me a comment or send a private message or text.