Do This in Memory of Me: The Bread of Life

By: Laura Worhacz

“It is Jesus that has called Himself the Bread of Life! What an unusual name! He alone could give it to Himself. An angel commissioned to name our Lord would have drawn a name in conformity with His attributes: The Word, Lord, etc. But Bread? He would never have dared call his God thus. Bread of Life, that is the real name of Jesus. It expresses Jesus Christ fully, in His life, in His death, and after His resurrection: on the Cross, He will be ground and sifted like flour; after the resurrection, He will be for our souls what material bread is for our bodies; He will truly be our Bread of Life. ” 1 - St. Peter Julian Eymard


Dearest Eucharistic Family,

Out of this world into Heaven! Tomorrow we celebrate The Solemnity of Corpus Christi. On this day we remember the central reality of what it means to be part of the Mystical Body of Christ. As members, we participate in the offering of our “self” to the humility of God. In the light of the Monstrance, we see Heaven now through the eyes of the heart, through the charity offered in love for others. We are God’s possession, His possession sent into the world.

Sitting in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament this week I thought of my soul being totally exposed to the light of truth and our Father loving me anyway. God listens; we absorb His presence in the silence; our relationship is built through our openness and purity of intention. The thought of bringing my listening ear to my family, being present to their concerns, building a genuine love from the depths of our hearts seems like a simple way to return God’s love.

Saint Peter Julian Eymard expresses in the above excerpt that perhaps the angels would have named our Lord through His attributes. However, Jesus named Himself from His love, passion, death and rising; from offering His Life to the WORLD! The Bread of Life is food for our souls as material bread is food for our bodies. A life lived for others continues to manifest God’s presence. We live in the world yet are raised to a divine life through the reception of Holy Communion, the Bread of Life.
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Jesus, conform our souls to Your soul. Grant us life, love, and holy desires so others may see God. Let our attributes glorify the heavenly mystery. May our presence make known to others that there is a living Bread that comes down from Heaven. Let others see through the way we live our lives that You came into the world to suffer and die for us, to absorb the sins of the world. And that You, Jesus, remain with us in The Bread of Life, the Holy Eucharist.

​1 Excerpt taken from Eymard Library Volume 9: IN THE LIGHT OF THE MONSTRANCE, Page 149