What

 

‘You are what you think’ is one of those modern phrases that wishes to sum up your personal situation. Intended to make you think about thinking, such phrases often leave you not knowing what to think, or stop further thought from occurring. You also rather wish at times you were not what you think. 

Another saying in this genre is ‘You are what you watch’, and certainly in our 24/7 world of screens there are times when watching appears to be many people’s sole occupation. It is a blessing to know that we might be defined by more than all the movies we’ve ever watched, or the hours put into doomscrolling.  

Then there’s ‘You are what you do,’ an unfortunate social equation we meet when someone new asks us, after names have been exchanged, and what do you do? We know we are more than our occupation, what we do, but fall into the same trap too easily when talking of others, and to others. Carl Jung, the psychoanalyst, took a different tack on this phrase: ‘You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.’ Actions speak louder than words, it’s said, but meanwhile who are we? 

‘You are what you learn’ has warrant, though there are cases of only learning what we want to know, not another thought in the world, and conversely learning more than is good for us, or useful, or to the point. Foodies and anthropologists are wont to say ‘you are what you eat’, a ‘truth’ that means something when you have enough to eat, but even then, aren’t we more than consumers? Perish the thought! 

Today’s Gospel (John 6: 56-69) takes this last phrase to amazing, even unthinkable and unimaginable new levels. The simple invitation to eat of Christ’s flesh in the form of broken bread is, we learn, to partake of eternal life. And in the first place seems to involve simply the action of doing it, of taking and eating the bread. It is truer to say in this respect, ‘you become what you eat’, as we learn (sometimes ever so slowly) how our experience is matched by the words of Gospel. Each time we respond to the invitation and eat the bread and drink of the cup, our thinking is further turned towards God’s will. Our thinking, watching, doing, not doing, learning and consuming are, in our communion together, transformed by the wisdom embodied in Jesus.