New Christmas Hymns - Hymn for the Holy Child (In the Fullness of the Ages)
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“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.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 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; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:51–54
Jesus came to bring us life — his life. Nothing else can satisfy our hunger for meaning and peace. Nothing else can bring us salvation. The Eucharist is the true bread that came down from heaven, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Savior. When Jesus left us this sacrament, he left us a share in his very life, for his Body and Blood are real food and drink. When we partake of the Eucharist, we are not simply remembering Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary; we are truly there at the foot of the cross.
This is not merely a symbol or a nice idea, but a deep reality, even though it is so far beyond what our senses can grasp. This living sign has been given to us to strengthen us and draw us into the very act of our salvation. It gives us all the graces we need to live out our salvation in every act of love we share at every moment of our lives — all for the glory of God.
It should be noted that Christ’s discourse on the Eucharist is the only incident recorded in the Gospels where people turn away from Jesus for doctrinal reasons. They reject our Lord’s words because they are too difficult for their hardened hearts to bear. Our call as Catholic men is to accept the powerful truth of the Eucharist and to carry that truth to the world. Humanity is hungering for the life that only Jesus can bring through his death on the cross. We must be willing to share that same life that we have received at Baptism and continue to experience in the Eucharist.
Questions for Reflection
What does it mean to you to be able to receive the Eucharist each Sunday?
How does participating in the Sacrifice of the Mass strengthen you to act in a godly way?
How will you share the life of Christ given to you in the Eucharist with other men this week?
Praying with Scripture
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.” (Jn 6:35)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
You can watch and listen to this devotion HERE
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
