The Gospel according to John (6:44-51)
Jesus said to the crowds:
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
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.”
Reflection:
In today’s modern world we take our processed, preserved, refrigerated food supplies for granted. At any given hour of the day or night we can get just about any kind of food we want. We can drive a few minutes and feast on a warm meal or walk a few seconds to our own refrigerators or food pantries to satisfy our craving. We are so spoiled.
Several millennia ago, people did not have unlimited access to food that was stored in refrigeration or by other methods. Food was fresh, kept at room temperature and had to be cooked or eaten within a short span. One exception was wheat. Wheat could be harvested and stored for long periods. And once milled into flour it could be stored and used later. The bread that the wheat was used to make became a very important staple in a person’s diet. So much so that it was the life sustaining food of the time. Some would even say that bread meant life.
In today’s gospel Jesus refers to the manna the people of God ate in the desert that God provided. Yet, although this bread kept them alive it did not prevent them from one day dying. Jesus is now making the bold claim that he can offer them the gift of eternal life if they partake of the bread he has to offer. The controversial thing about this bread is that it was his flesh. Sound cannibalistic? It did to many people who heard what he said and they stopped following him.
Of course, we know he did not mean his actual flesh, but he was already looking ahead to the Last Supper and before he would accept his suffering and death to save us. In the last meal with his closest friends, he told them that the bread and wine they consumed were his body and blood. That his sacrifice would be the culmination of the New Covenant that would restore our broken relationship with God and gain us access to eternal life. That this bread that came down from heaven would prevent their death. Not a physical death but the freedom from an eternity without the Father.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a line around every church filled with people who wanted to eat this celestial food that prevents death? Maybe we will have to wait to get to heaven to experience this insatiable hunger for Jesus.
Action of the Day:
Visit the Blessed Sacrament, go to Adoration, mass, or in your own little prayer corner contemplate on the gift of this food we are blessed to have access to. Jesus is present to us today and everyday in the Holy Eucharist. We consume him so we can become what we eat. A living sacrifice willing to share this life giving gift to the world.
Audio Reflection:
