First Reading - Acts 9:1-20
Gospel - John 6:52-59
The first reading narrates a beautiful story of the conversation of Saul. The narrative is evident that he was deadly intent on finishing all the followers of Jesus but Jesus chooses him to become his own follower to Jews and gentiles alike. The story confirms a drastic change in the personality of Saul; once a dreadful enemy of followers of Jesus to have become a staunch believer in Jesus after the encounter of the vision of the risen Christ. The story reminds us that God's ways are incomprehensible to human minds but human minds need humble acceptance of His ways.
In the gospel passage, Jesus discloses a very strage fact of the Eucharist for the Jews. The Jewish audience for Jesus’ teaching on the Bread of Life were scandalized at his statement that he was going to give them his Flesh to eat, for it suggested to them cannibalism, forbidden in the Jewish Scriptures. Hence, they wanted to know how Jesus could give his Flesh to eat as a means to gain Eternal Life. Jesus asserted that it was a must for them to eat his Body and drink his Blood if they were to receive Divine Life, Eternal Life, and resurrection from the dead. There is no way to interpret Jesus’ words as “simply symbolic,” which would mean that receiving Communion is only a metaphor, and not really eating and drinking the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus stresses very forcefully that it is necessary for us to receive him in the Blessed Eucharist in order to share in Divine Life and to develop the life of grace we have received in Baptism. St. Pius X says: “We receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion to nourish our souls and to give us an increase of grace and the gift of eternal life”. “Really sharing in the body of the Lord in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, we are taken up into communion with him and with one another.” (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 7). Jesus adds that eating his Body and drinking his Blood are essential for abiding in him, which is, on this earth, the beginning of the Eternal Life of Heaven. Communion with Jesus enables us to start enjoying Eternal Life with God here on earth, while resurrection gives us eternal life with God forever. St. Thomas Aquinas gives this explanation in his commentary on John: “The Word gives life to our souls, but the Word made Flesh nourishes our souls.”
Dear friends, God's ways are really strange to comprehend. It sounds really strange that God chose Saul, a fierce persecuter to become His follower. It sounds really strange that Jesus chose simple bread and wine to condescend to dwell in them fully and completely. However, it's a reality and foundational to our Christian faith! The risen Christ dwells in the consecrated bread which is his Flesh and he also dwells in the consecrated wine which is his Blood. We don't understand this mystery fully, like those Jews who listened to him yet didn't understand, but we believe in the words of Jesus. Jesus has chosen the simple bread and wine as the sign of his perpetual presence in our midst and in our lives. Let's believe in the words of Jesus and become aware of the real presence of Jesus in the consecrated bread and wine. St. Francis has said: "What we corporally see of God is only the body and blood of Christ." Let the corporal presence of Jesus always find a worthy place in our hearts whenever we receive him. May we be able to receive Jesus in his body and blood with firm faith and preparation because every unworthy reception is equal to desecration of the holy presence of Jesus.
Let's pray that we may grow in our faith in the Eucharist.
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