Blessed Are Those Who Receive the Bread of Life

Prayer-Soldier

Blessed Are Those Who Receive the Bread of Life

Scripture:

But Melchisedech, the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God, blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who created heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God, by whose protection, the enemies are in your hands. And he gave him the tithes of all. (Genesis 14:18-20)

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke and said: Take and eat: This is my body, which shall be delivered for you. This do for the commemoration of me. In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood. This do, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink the chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord, until he come. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Which when the people knew, they followed him: and he received them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and healed them who had need of healing. Now the day began to decline. And the twelve came and said to him: Send away the multitude, that, going into the towns and villages round about, they may lodge and get victuals; for we are here in a desert place. But he said to them: Give you them to eat. And they said: We have no more than five loaves and two fishes; unless perhaps, we should go and buy food for all this multitude. Now there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples: Make them sit down by fifties in a company. And they did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and blessed them: and he broke and distributed to his disciples, to set before the multitude. And they did all eat and were filled. And there were taken up of fragments that remained to them, twelve baskets. (John 9:11-17)

Reflection:

As we look back at the generations past, we see how the traditions of people change, but the Word of the Lord remains forever. It is the Word by which our God continues to teach us the blessings of mercy, compassion, charity and love. The high priest, Melchisedech, in the time of Abraham, offered bread and wine to share in thanks for the works of our Creator. The generations which observed the commandments of God received His blessings, but as generations turned away from Him, they also turned away from all which He offers.

The Son of God, so that none should be lost to His kingdom, instructed His faithful to share within a new blessing; the blessing of eternal life, purchased by His body and blood, which was offered from upon the cross in sacrifice for all. He instructed them so that as they shared in memory of Him, His body and blood would become a reminder to the generations of His love and passion. As we proclaim our belief in Him and we receive His precious body and blood, we receive the food and drink by which we commemorate His sacrifice for our sins. It is through this sacrifice by which our sins might be forgiven and our souls might be cleansed.

Jesus came to the world as the Word made flesh and fed the many who gathered to listen to Him and who believed what He taught. All who were hungry were fed, but His desire was not just to feed the multitude of 5000, rather, He sought to feed the generations. At the last supper, where He presented His body and blood as the sacrifice of the New Covenant and the spiritual sustenance to sanctify the generations who believe in Him, He shared with us an even greater miracle by which we may remember, by which we may celebrate, by which we may join in communion with Him. He did this to perpetuate His sacrament of love offered for all the children of His creation. Through His body and blood, those who receive it are sustained by it to grow in communion with the Holy Spirit. As the people celebrate and receive Him, as He instructed, they receive of Him so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, they are brought in communion with Him and form one body in Him and are united with Him.

In the Old Covenant, the high priest, Melchisedech, offered bread and wine, produced from the fruits of the creation of God, refined by the works of human hands, by which to give thanks to our Creator for all the blessings He bestows. In the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit transforms bread and wine into the sacrifice made for us from upon the cross, the body and blood by which His faithful may receive the King of kings and share as one body and spirit within the body of Christ by whose body, blood, soul and divinity was offered in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. Let us remember that whoever eats the body of Christ and drinks His blood remains in Him and He in them. (John 6:53-56)

In prayer, let us give thanks for His sacrifice. In prayer, let us remember His works and all which He taught us. In celebration together, let us remember all the blessings we receive from Him, by Him and in Him. In prayer, let us give thanks and praise for the communion to which we are called in memory of Him and by which we may unite within His body. Blessed are those who receive His precious body and blood, for it is by the passion of our Lord and Savior that we may be forgiven and cleansed so that we may enter into His eternal kingdom where love is shared by all and evil is not allowed to follow.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier