Friday, April 19, 2002
3rd Week of Easter
1st Reading: Acts 9:1-20
Gospel: Jn 6:52-59
The
Jews were arguing among themselves, "How can this man give us flesh
to eat?" So Jesus replied, "Truly, I say to you, if you do not
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life
in you. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood live with eternal
life and I will raise him up on the last day.
My flesh is really food and my blood is drink. Those who eat my flesh
and drink my blood, live in me and I in them. Just as the Father, who
is life, sent me and I have life from the Father, so whoever eats me will
have life from me. This is the bread which came from heaven; unlike that
of your ancestors, who ate and later died. Those who eat this bread will
live forever."
Jesus spoke in this way in Capernaum when he taught them in the synagogue.
Commentary
Here the theological discourse reaches a climax. The teaching about the Eucharist is presented to would-be disciples of Christ without compromise, as the center of Christian faith. The Eucharist crowns and perfects the grace of baptism. It unites us intimately with Christ who has passed through death and lives with eternal life. Therefore, we too live with eternal life and can look forward to being raised with Christ when our turn comes. Through the Eucharist we live in Christ and Christ lives in us. We are drawn into the Trinitarian life of God. The life that the Father shares with Jesus is similarly shared with us, through Jesus. As disciples of Christ, the Eucharist is our lifeblood, our bond of identification with Christ.