Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

May 11, 2019 Saturday
Gospel: John 6:60-69
After hearing this, many of Jesus’ followers said, “This language is very hard! Who can accept it?”Jesus was aware that his disciples were murmuring about this, and so he said to them, “Does this offend you? Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, not the flesh. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. But among you there are some who do not believe.” From the beginning, Jesus knew who would betray him. So he added, “As I have told you, no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed him. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Will you also go away?” Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We now believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Reflections

“Will you also go away?”It is not only the Jews who object to his being the bread of life, but also many of his followers. They are scandalized and move away.Jesus goes back to his word. Whatever he says, including his claims, are spirit and life. He expects his listeners to believe in his word so that they may have life. The life that Jesus promises is the life that is in heaven, which he left when he became man and which he will find when he ascends into heaven.The consoling part of the pas- sage is the question, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” Truly this is an affirmation of their belief in the words of Jesus. They cannot dissociate themselves with Jesus when it comes to seeking eternal life.Can Christians also say the same? Some believe in his words as written in the Bible and read in the liturgy, but they do not care about receiving Holy Communion. Practice of faith must be complete, not selective. Here we need the Church to interpret what Jesus means and how we should act upon his words. Not everything is written in the Bible. Sacred traditions must be of help.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: John 6:52-59
The Jews were arguing among themselves, “How can this man give us his 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 lives eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.My flesh is really food, and my blood is truly 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 from heaven; not like 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.

Reflections

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood, live in me, and I in them.”Jesus’ offer of himself as the flesh to eat provokes reactions from the audience. It is an unusual, if not a weird offer. Never in the history of the Jewish people that a spiritual leader offers himself to be eaten. Yet Jesus is emphatic on their receiving him that they may gain eternal life.Christians have not had any difficulty in accepting Jesus’ of- fer. They understand it in the context of the Holy Eucharist which is celebrated everyday in the churches or oratories. For Christians, especially devout Catholics, reception of the Eucharist is a welcome idea. It cannot be compromised. They receive it everyday whenever possible. The Church teaches that all efforts, all social works, all catechisms and instructions in the church should lead to the reception of this sacrament. Christian identity considers reception of Holy Communion as the peak expression of total conversion to Christ and his Church, called fullness of Christian life.Those who understand the meaning of the Eucharist can show more life, love and compassion to others.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: John 6:44-51
No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise him up on the last day. It has been written in the Prophets: They shall all be taught by God. So whoever listens and learns from the Father comes to me.For no one has seen the Father except the One who comes from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.I am the bread of life. Though your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, they died. But here you have the bread from heaven, so that you may eat of it, and not die.I am the living bread from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I shall give is my flesh, and I will give it for the life of the world.”

Reflections

“Whoever believes has eternal life.”Jesus introduces himself to his disciples as the bread of life. He is life-giving. The manna in the desert, too, came as bread from heaven, but all who ate it died. They were not given the life which Jesus offers. The bread he is talking about refers to his flesh, his body. He offers himself not only to them but for the life of the world. Certainly the world cannot live according to the mind of God if it does not accept his Son as bread of life.We may ask, how disposed are we to accept Jesus as bread? We can be disposed only if we are open to the Father. It is he who disposes us to Jesus by his words and teachings.Acceptance of Jesus as the bread of life does not come easy. We must be prepared. This we do through catechism and series of instructions. Sermons of the priests can help. Listening to God’s words is still of prime importance. That is why, the holy Mass always begins with the liturgy of the Word and then followed by the liturgy of the Eucharist. The Word of God disposes us to receive holy communion.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: John 6:35-40
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty. Nevertheless, as I said, you refuse to believe, even when you have seen. Yet all those whom the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I shall not turn away. For I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the One who sent me.And the will of him who sent me is that I lose nothing of what he has given me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day. This is the will of the Father, that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall live eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Reflections

“I am the bread of life.”Jesus promises to those who come to him because they believe in him shall never hunger or thirst. We should not take his words literally, otherwise, we will get frustrated. Jesus speaks not of material food, but something that fills the spirit.If we get Jesus right, we will not look for anyone else for light and salvation. He is God’s complete revelation. All we want to know about God and our faith is known through Jesus. If some- one else explains, we will never be satisfied. We cannot be totally sure. Even experts in religion like the theologians can only approximate who God is.Satisfaction is not just ingestion or absorption of God’s words and presence in prayer and meditation. It is most of all a process of following and living out his teachings of sharing and living harmoniously with others. It is also living in justice. We will always hunger and thirst for peace, joy, love, security and God if we follow our own flawed designs and wisdom. Engaging with Jesus can only be satisfying when we do it consistently in the context of the community. Contentment is interactive. It is never unidirectional.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019