“Moses said to the people: ‘Remember how for forty years now
the Lord, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to
test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was you intention to keep
his commandments. He therefore let you
be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to your
fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by
every word that come forth from the mouth of God.
“Do not forget the Lord, your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and
terrible desert with its seraph serpents and scorpions, it parched and
waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed
you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to our fathers.’”
Second reading: 1 Cor. 10: 16-17
“Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is
it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of
Christ? Because the loaf of bread is
one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”
Gospel reading: Jn. 6: 51-58
“Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: ‘I am the living bread
that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the
bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.’
“The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘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.’”
Introductory theme summary:
As the title for this Sunday suggests, the common theme for
today’s readings is the Eucharist. All
three readings address some factor relating to the Body and Blood of
Christ. The first reading gives us a
look into the Old Testament backdrop for the Sacrament; the Second readings
addresses the unity intended to be accomplished by our receiving that
Sacrament; and the Gospel teaches us the benefits given to those who
participate in that unity.
Reflection:
The first thing we need to do is examine the passage,
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise
him on the last day.” While it was
certainly John’s intention to help all those who heard his teaching realize the
simplicity of faith’s reward; it was not his intention to dismiss anyone from
their responsibility to work towards the appropriate disposition for receiving
the Eucharist. According to Paul, “Whoever
eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for
the body and blood of the Lord. A person
should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without
discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” (1 Cor. 11: 27-29)
Therefore, our worthy reception of the
Eucharist is conditioned by an appropriate disposition in order to obtain the
promised eternal life. By examining both
of these passages we learn there is a danger of omitting the needed “work of
faith” for receiving Christ’s promise of eternal life by those who eat his
flesh and drink his blood. In order for
the promise of eternal life to be fulfilled for the individual believer, he/she
must receive the Eucharist worthily. What
is this “work of faith” that qualifies us as “worthy?”
Well, for that we need to examine the passage, “Whoever eats
my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” According to John himself, “No one who
remains in him sins. (Jn. 3:6) Thus, remaining
in him is conditioned by us not sinning.
This condition is certainly not one that is demanded from the onset of
our participation in the Eucharistic meal.
The first reading gives us our clue on that issue. “Remember how for forty years now the Lord,
your God, has directed all you journeying in the desert, so as to test you by
affliction and find out whether or not it was you intention to keep his
commandments.” This same principal
applies to us today. We are permitted to
suffer afflictions in our day-to-day lives to find out if we intend to remain
faithful to our Lord’s will by avoiding sin. If we fail we lose our abidance, but we have
the sacrament of reconciliation to restore us to that abidance so as to return
to Him in the Eucharist in order to receive His Spirit by which we become able
to remain in Him. The questing then
become; do we have faith enough to get back up each time we fail and believe it
actually is possible to live our life free of sin – “The state of Grace?”
Finally, the second reading’s issue of being one in the Body
of Christ! Do we even understand what “being
one” in the Body of Christ actually means?
Oneness in Christ takes its significance from Christ himself. To understand that we need to “look” at
Christ’s own body at the point in which it becomes offered to us for our
salvation. That point is: while hanging
on the cross in sacrifice. To become fully
one in the body of Christ we need to do as Paul says, “I urge you therefore,
brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.” (Rom. 12: 1). For it is by offering ourselves as a living
sacrifice in union with Christ’s perfect sacrifice that we become joined with
Christ in His sacrifice as one body. The
purpose for this joining is explained by Paul as well. “In my flesh I am filling up what is lacking
in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the Church.” (Col.
1: 24)
So, when we put all this together we arrive at a better
understanding of what the gospel is actually teaching us concerning “receiving the
Eucharist,” as well as what it means to be “one in the body of Christ.” Though related they are not the same thing. The first case – receiving the Eucharist – relates
to the condition for obtaining eternal life; the second case – being one in the
body – relates to furthering the cause of the world’s salvation.
Where do you stand in regard to a worthy reception of the
Eucharist; and do you further the cause of the world’s salvation by making of
your life a living sacrifice to be offered in union with Christ’s perfect
sacrifice?
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