Our 
culture here in the United States has moved steadily away from the frugal way of life of past generations, and towards a convince centered “throw away” society. We want it all, and we want it with as little effort or trouble as possible. Plastic packaging that get immediately discarded in the waste cans all in the name of convenience. Prepackaged snacks, and meals that are quick and easy to grab despite the poor nutritional value and our increasing waist lines. Even our phones have become small portable computers that are either out of date, or not working properly after a few years of use. We seem to seek after what is new, what is shinny and will make us “happy” for a time, but if the maintenance is too labor intensive, we get rid of it and move on to the next thing. We want the perfect home but we don’t want to spend the hours of hard work that it takes to keep in clean. We want the perfect marriage, and yet when it starts to get hard, we kick it to the curb all to readily, and move on in search of “what makes me happy.” Most tragic of all is the discarding of human life through abortion, which society attempts to veil as “women’s rights,” despite the fact that it harms the psych of these mothers. We hear unplanned pregnancies labeled as “unwanted,” and the most vulnerable of all human life, the unborn, is thrown away. Discarded. Where are our priorities!? What is valuable in our culture, what is scared?
The pendulum swings, as it does throughout human history and we are hearing more and more about the idea of sustainability. This word brings to mind concepts of reusing, recycling, renewable sources of energy and infrastructure. These are very good and important things to pursue in order to take care of our natural world. I am pleased to see more parents choosing cloth diapers instead of disposable, chemical filled ones. I would love to see plastic grocery bags disappear altogether (as they have in many areas of the United States) in lieu of more earth friendly ways to bring home our food. Yet the word sustainable is much more than just taking care of the environment, it is also the viability of our social and economical structures which is made up of imperfect people. The building block of humanity is cultivated in the family unit; mother, father, child. How are we as a culture supporting the sustainability of families? How are we supporting the mind, body, and soul of the individual person who functions only in community with others? What is it that keeps us well functioning, productive human persons? What sustains us?
All we need to do is read today’s gospel from John to answer this question. Jesus tells us exactly what we need, what will truly sustain our lives. Him. God. He is the sustenance that feds our minds, our bodies, and our souls, and we find it every time we participate in the Mass. Without God our lives get off balance and our society starts to suffer. We can see this in a culture of bright, well meaning people who are unfulfilled and always chasing the next best thing. We see it in how easily some people can throw away a human life as if it is a piece of garbage. We also see it in the way society attempts to water down moral truths so they are easier to swallow. Jesus is the antidote to all of this. Catholicism doesn’t water things down so they are easy, and that is because Jesus didn’t dilute the truth. Chapter six in the gospel according to John is a incredibly important example of this. The crowds who heard Jesus say that they must eat his flesh were shocked and appalled:
“How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:52-58
Read the Bread of Life Discourse in it’s entirety and note how many times Jesus repeats his point. Recall how hard this was for people to understand and how people left his following because of it. Think of how many Christians water down the institution of the Eucharist at the last supper to a mere symbol, so it is easier to swallow. Jesus didn’t water it down, so we in the world would we? Is it difficult to understand and believe in the true presence in the Eucharist? Yes. Is it the mystery of faith? Yes. Is it the source and summit of the Christian life? Yes. Yes. Yes. The gift of Jesus in the Eucharist sustains us in every way possible; intellectually, physically, spiritually; mind, body and soul. He literally nourishes the cells of our bodies. This is amazing and it is no wonder that we approach the liturgy of the Eucharist with the utmost reverence and awe.
God truly sustains our lives and only He can leads us to more perfect love, and more perfect peace. It is a journey, but with the word of God in our minds, on our lips and in our hearts we can make the trek; with Jesus as our true food and drink, we will not perish but live forever.
