Day 182: The Signs of Bread and Wine

The first announcement of the Eucharist divided the disciples, just as the announcement of the Passion scandalized them: "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling blocks. It is the same mystery and it never ceases to be an occasion of division. "Will you also go away?": The Lord's question echoes through the ages, as a loving invitation to discover that only he has "the words of eternal life" and that to receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself. CCC 1336

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the mystery of the institution of the Eucharist by Christ. Bread and wine are the elements or signs used, which are significant in Scripture. We see one of the first typologies for Christ and the Eucharist in Melchizedek and his offering of bread and wine in Gen 14:18-20. As the Catechism Compendium notes:

The Eucharist was foreshadowed in the Old Covenant above all in the annual Passover meal celebrated every year by the Jews with unleavened bread to commemorate their hasty, liberating departure from Egypt. Jesus foretold it in his teaching and he instituted it when he celebrated the Last Supper with his apostles in a Passover meal. The Church, faithful to the command of her Lord, “Do this in memory of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24), has always celebrated the Eucharist, especially on Sunday, the day of the Resurrection of Jesus. (#276)

As the dialogue in John 6:25-71 shows, unfortunately, the Eucharist is a stumbling block for some just as the Risen Christ can be (1 Cor 1:23). Yet it is a sacrament of love, one from Him to spiritually nourish and sustain us, a gift of eternal life (Jn 6:51). The Catechism Companion, Vol II notes:

The Eucharist is a profound gift of love from the Lord. The Eucharist fulfills the Jewish Passover, establishing the New Covenant in Jesus' blood. Every celebration of the Eucharist looks forward to heaven, allowing us to taste the love God has for us. God's love extends to each of us, regardless of weaknesses or failures. Attending Mass reminds us of his overwhelming love for us. (p. 128) 

In the Eucharist, we truly receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, which is why we are warned never to receive this precious gift in an "unworthy manner" (1 Cor 11:27).