Year B
 Proverbs 9:1-6
 Psalm 34:9-14
 Ephesians 5:15-20
 John 6:51-58

May the words of my mouth O God…  speak your truth…

This morning’s Gospel…  presents us with one of Jesus’ most profound and mysterious teachings…  he says…  I am the living bread that came down from heaven…   whoever eats this bread will live forever…  this bread is my flesh…  which I will give for the life of the world…

Even after we’ve heard these words many times…  they’re still difficult to grasp…  and they seem somewhat ghoulish…  Jesus is speaking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood…  an image that was shocking to his listeners then…  and if we think about it just a little…  and I’m confident that many of us have…  is not only shocking to us…  but can evoke images of vampires…  and zombies…  and remember… according to Jewish dietary laws…  the consumption of blood was strictly forbidden…

But as we look deeper into this teaching…  we can find profound truths about the nature of life…  the power of transformation…  and the way we are called to live as followers of Christ…

We’ve all heard the saying…  You are what you eat…  it’s a phrase that reminds us about how important it is to nourish our bodies with healthy food…  and it was first made popular in the 1942 book by the same title…  written by Victor Lindlahr…  but beyond its physical implications…  this saying holds a deeper…  spiritual truth as well…

When Jesus invites us to eat his flesh and drink his blood…  he is not speaking of physical nourishment…  but of a deeper spiritual reality…  he’s inviting us to take his Being into ourselves…  to allow his life…  his love…  and his Spirit to become integrated…  and made one with ours…  because just as the food we eat becomes part of our physical bodies…  the spiritual food we receive in Christ…  becomes part of our very being too…

In the Eucharist…  we receive the body and blood of Christ…  and through this sacrament…  we are united with him in a profound way…  ]  this union transforms us…  and little by little…  shapes us more and more into his likeness…  ]  as we partake of this holy meal…  we are called to become more like Christ…  embodying his love…  his compassion…  and his grace in the world…

Now…  you might wonder…  what could vampires and zombies possibly have to do with all of this…  these creatures from both folklore…  and popular culture might seem far removed from the sacred mystery of the Eucharist…  but they offer an interesting lens through which we might explore the themes of life…  death…  and transformation… 

Vampires and zombies are often depicted as creatures of the night…  existing in a state that is neither fully alive…  nor fully dead…  they’re creatures who consume others to sustain their existence…  vampires by drinking blood…  and zombies by devouring flesh…  and both are driven by an insatiable hunger…  one that can never truly be satisfied…  and when you are bitten by either one of these creatures…  you become one of them…

In many ways…  they represent a perversion of the sacramental life that Jesus offers us…  since vampires and zombies feed on others to prolong their own existence…  ]  but the life that Jesus offers us through his flesh and blood…  is one that is given freely…  out of love…  Jesus doesn’t take from us…  instead…  he offers himself to us…  invites us into a relationship that is life-giving and transformative… 

The lore of vampires and zombies…  also speaks to the human condition in a way that resonates with the spiritual truths of our faith…  in a world that’s often characterized by consumption…  greed…  and a relentless pursuit of self-preservation…  these figures serve as a cautionary tale…  they remind us of the dangers of living a life that is focused solely on the self…  because when…  what we consume…  whether food or things made in factories…  is done without regard for the toll it can take on others…  and the environment…  when we seek to sustain our own lives by taking from others…  we risk that while we may be alive in body…  we may be dead in Spirit…

But in contrast to the hollow existence of these creatures…  Jesus offers a different way…  a way that leads to true life…  his is not like the manna that the Israelites ate in the wilderness…  which sustained them for a time…  but ultimately couldn’t prevent their death…  we could even say that the bread which Jesus offers has the divine spark baked into it…  a spark which gives eternal life…  and those who eat it… will live forever…

Jesus’ invitation is an invitation to receive…  not to take…  it’s an invitation to move beyond the superficial existence of consuming for the sake of mere survival…  and to enter into a life of communion with God and with one another…  the bread and wine we consume here are not mere symbols…  this is not just an empty ritual…  but is a real and tangible expression of Christ’s presence with us…  and as we share this holy meal…  we are drawn further into the mystery of his life…  death…  and resurrection…  and we are reminded that in Christ…  life conquers death…  love overcomes hatred…  and light dispels darkness… 

We may not have flashy experiences when we receive this bread and wine…  but it is a means of transformation…  when we receive…  we are drawn into deeper communion with God…  and we are empowered to live as Christ’s body in the world…  and that’s why this transformation is not just about our individual lives…  but is also about the life of the world…  ]  as we gather around the Table…  we are united with one another in a bond of love and fellowship…  and we’re reminded that we are part of something much greater than ourselves…  that we are called to be God’s hands and feet in the world…

And when we begin to understand it this way…  the Eucharist is both a gift…  and a challenge…  it’s a spiritual gift…  in that it nourishes us…  sustains us…  and draws us closer to God…  but it’s also a challenge…  calling us to live out the implications of this sacrament in the details of our individual and our collective lives…  we are called to be what we eat…  ]  to embody the love…  compassion…  and grace of Christ…  in all that we do…

In a world that’s often driven by having more and more things…  sacramental living offers a counter narrative…  because we are called to live lives of gratitude…  humility…  and service…  and as we reflect on the mystical significance of this meal…  we’re asked to remember that all of life is infused with the presence of the Divine…  but it can be difficult to perceive that divinity…  and that we’re called to respond to that presence with reverence and love…  and to re-cognize Christ in the faces of those we meet…

In a commentary on this passage…  Bp. Satterlee wrote…  The words “flesh” and “blood” point to the cross…  where Jesus’ flesh will be broken…  and his blood will be spilled…  ]  his death on the cross…  is the moment when he gives his whole self… including his life…  for the life of the world…

So as we come to this Table…  let’s be open to the mystery of Christ’s presence…  let’s receive with gratitude…  knowing that we are nourished and sustained by God’s very life…  and as we leave…  let’s carry a mustard seed of faith with us…  so we can help transform and heal the world…  let’s be living embodiments of love…  grace…  and compassion…  and in the strength of this food…  let’s resist the temptations of a world that seems mostly to consume and take…  and instead…  do what we can to give freely…  as Christ gives to us…  and may we live lives that bear witness to the Bread of Life…  the life that Jesus gives…  Amen.