Jesus said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” (Jn 6:51) By saying this, he is declaring that he is divine and that he is willing to sacrifice his life for all. The Jews were puzzled and murmured: "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" They could not understand these words of Jesus. It is impossible, they thought, that anyone could be willing to give his life for others. And it is even more absurd to think that God would want to do that. God is supposed to be super powerful, unreachable, almighty, immense, divine... how is it that God wants to die for us and become food for us to live? In their minds, God is to be served and worshipped. He desires praise and offerings. He is the big boss and we are his slaves. Therefore, it is impossible to imagine that God could be our servant and sacrifice Himself for us.

But that's what God really wants, and His desire is expressed in the mystery of his incarnation. In truth, God wants to become our servant in order to love us all to the point of dying for us. That is the measure of His love for humanity. St. Paul said: "…though he [Jesus] was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross.” (Phi 2:6-8) Our God is so special! And His love is true and boundless. We are confused at the same time... we are in awe of such love.

Then, what does Jesus mean with “giving life”? God does not want to love us just by giving gifts, graces, blessings... He does not just give things. Instead, God wants to give us Himself, His life. Jesus wants to dwell in our hearts and through His presence, He brings us into the communion with His Father, so that we can have a taste, in earthly proportions, of the experience of the Holy Trinity. Moreover, the presence of Jesus in us will help us to bring communion to our brothers and sisters, helping us to repair the difficult relationships we experience in our daily lives. Therefore, we receive the Body of Christ so that we may find ourselves in communion with both God and humanity.

Moreover, by eating this bread, we let Him live in us. Jesus says, "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. This means that our lives are transformed by this presence. We can benefit from His strength, His light, His understanding, His holiness... because He dwells in us. It is the Eucharist that enables the disciples to follow Jesus and to imitate His sacrifice for the salvation of the world.

Indeed, it was the Eucharist that inspired Br. Vittorio Faccin, Fr. Giovanni Didoné, Fr. Luigi Carrara, three Xaverians, and Fr. Albert Joubert, a diocesan priest, who shed their blood for Christ and for their communities in Congo in 1964, and who today are universally recognized by the Church as Blessed and Martyrs. They were Christians, disciples of the Lord. They lived the Gospel in their daily lives. They did not reach their martyrdom by chance, but because they were "living Eucharist", bread of life for the world. In the midst of the cruelest uncertainty, Father Vittorio wrote to his parents and friends: "We are expecting the worst. Heavily armed men are at our doors. People are in panic. Only God knows what will happen. My dear ones, do not weep for us. Pray for us that God may be glorified and that we may have the strength to bear witness to His glory. "^[1] Their sacrifice became a blessing for the Church in Congo and continues to be a blessing for us who, after 60 years, still remember them as an outstanding example of faith and love, following the example of Jesus, the Bread of Life.

^[1] Fr, Faccin, Letter to his parents, Baraka, on June 10, 1964.