A sermon on John 6:51-58

By Fr. Mike Paraniuk
St. Mary Catholic Church (Hillsboro,
St. Benignus Catholic Church (Greenfield),
Saint Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Peebles)
Holy Trinity Catholic Church (West Union)

A Catholic priest and Protestant minister became very good friends. They were driving together down the street when they passed the Catholic church. The priest bowed his head and made the sign of the cross. 

The minister asked the priest why he did that. 

The priest said, "I am honoring the real presence of Jesus in the tabernacle." 

The minister replied, "If I believed that Jesus was truly present in the bread stored in your tabernacle, I would sit in the church all day and never leave." 

The priest and minster struck up a friendly conversation about what Jesus said in John 6:53-55: “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. Whoever drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” 

The minister explained his understanding of these bible passages from John. 

"I do not believe that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus. John 6:63 clearly states Jesus saying, 'It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail.'" 

The priest responds, "Jesus never said His flesh is of no avail. Human flesh without God's Spirit cannot get you to heaven. The flesh of Jesus in His Body and Blood can. Catholics believe that Jesus gave us the gift of Himself in the bread and wine at the Last Supper that gives us eternal life."

The minister asks, "Do Catholics believe that the bread becomes the Body of Jesus and the wine becomes the Blood of Jesus at Mass? How can you separate His body from His blood?" 

The priest replies, "Both the bread and wine become the Real Presence of Jesus at the Mass. The bread and wine changes into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. Jesus is whole and entire in both."

The minister raises another point. "A human body can be in only one place at a time. How could Jesus be in Heaven with His body and at the same time be present with His body on your altar in Holy Communion?" 

The priest explains, "After His resurrection, the human body of Jesus changed into His glorified body. The glorified body of Jesus can do things His human body could not do. Jesus could walk through walls and change His appearance. Yet, He could still eat a piece of fish to prove He is not a ghost. Jesus can now be present in more than one place at the same time because His glorified body has no limitations." 

As their discussion ended, the minister asked a poignant question. "Does your Holy Communion really matter?" 

The priest responded with a story. 

A parishioner who attended church regularly stopped going. The Pastor went to pay him a visit. The man invited the Pastor to sit with him in front of the fireplace. The roaring fire warmed the entire room. The man expected a lecture from the Pastor about not attending church. Instead, not a word was said. After a few moments of silence, the Pastor arose from his chair and approached the fireplace. He took a pair of tongs, picked up a bright burning ember and placed it alone to the side. The ember's flame flickered, growing smaller and smaller until the flame became no more. Just a cold piece of wood lay there in the hearth. Without a word, the Pastor returned to his chair.

Both Pastor and parishioner still sat in silence until the Pastor got back up. He took the tong, picked up the burnt ember and placed it back into the fire. It once again glowed brightly, enkindled with fire from the other burning embers. 

The man finally spoke, "Pastor, I thank you for this fiery sermon. See you in church next Sunday."

Holy Communion matters because when you receive Him, Jesus enkindles the fire of His love within you. Jesus has chosen the common food of bread and wine to place His very self within you. Earthly food keeps you alive. Heavenly food gives you life. Does Holy Communion matter? If you want to live forever, it sure does.