52 The Jews therefore contended with one another, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. 54 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven—not as our fathers ate the manna, and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

John 6:52-59 - World English Bible

The dialogue in John 6 shifted from the literal to the sacramental. The crowd focused on the cannibal meaning of 6:51: "I AM the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." Of course, they missed the point of the phrase "living bread" (how consuming can someone that continues to live be considered cannibalism?). Nonetheless, they contented with the physical meaning of 6:51b.

Jesus insisted they consume his Body and Blood to gain eternal life; indeed, these were the only food and drink that mattered in the grand scheme of things. He then shifted toward the sacramental meaning in 6:57: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me." Notice the causal relation, as well as the temporal one. The Father lived forever, so the Son who depended upon him lived forever, so the disciple who ate of his flesh and drank his blood would live forever. And, the living Father sent the Son (entering time) to give life, so the disciple would be implicitly sent (when the time was right) to proclaim the living Christ in the Good News

Receiving Eucharist means more than eating "the bread of life." It means depending more upon the Risen Christ and sharing in his mission.

How has the Eucharist drawn you closer to Christ? How have you shared the Eucharist with others, even outside of Mass?