Solemnity of the Body and Blood of
Christ
Lectionary: 167
Lectionary: 167
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 your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
"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 your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
"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 saraph serpents and scorpions,
its 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 your fathers."
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its 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 your fathers."
Responsorial
PsalmPS 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R. (12) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 21 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.
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.
Sequence
Lauda Sion
Laud, O Zion, your salvation,
Laud with hymns of exultation,
Christ, your king and shepherd true:
Laud with hymns of exultation,
Christ, your king and shepherd true:
Bring him all the praise you know,
He is more than you bestow.
Never can you reach his due.
He is more than you bestow.
Never can you reach his due.
Special theme for glad
thanksgiving
Is the quick’ning and the living
Bread today before you set:
Is the quick’ning and the living
Bread today before you set:
From his hands of old partaken,
As we know, by faith unshaken,
Where the Twelve at supper met.
As we know, by faith unshaken,
Where the Twelve at supper met.
Full and clear ring out your
chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
From your heart let praises burst:
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
From your heart let praises burst:
For today the feast is holden,
When the institution olden
Of that supper was rehearsed.
When the institution olden
Of that supper was rehearsed.
Here the new law’s new oblation,
By the new king’s revelation,
Ends the form of ancient rite:
By the new king’s revelation,
Ends the form of ancient rite:
Now the new the old effaces,
Truth away the shadow chases,
Light dispels the gloom of night.
Truth away the shadow chases,
Light dispels the gloom of night.
What he did at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne’er to cease:
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne’er to cease:
And his rule for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.
This the truth each Christian
learns,
Bread into his flesh he turns,
To his precious blood the wine:
Bread into his flesh he turns,
To his precious blood the wine:
Sight has fail’d, nor thought
conceives,
But a dauntless faith believes,
Resting on a pow’r divine.
But a dauntless faith believes,
Resting on a pow’r divine.
Here beneath these signs are
hidden
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
Signs, not things are all we see:
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
Signs, not things are all we see:
Blood is poured and flesh is
broken,
Yet in either wondrous token
Christ entire we know to be.
Yet in either wondrous token
Christ entire we know to be.
Whoso of this food partakes,
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
Christ is whole to all that taste:
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
Christ is whole to all that taste:
Thousands are, as one, receivers,
One, as thousands of believers,
Eats of him who cannot waste.
One, as thousands of believers,
Eats of him who cannot waste.
Bad and good the feast are
sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
Endless death, or endless life.
Of what divers dooms preparing,
Endless death, or endless life.
Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
Is with unlike issues rife.
See how like participation
Is with unlike issues rife.
When the sacrament is broken,
Doubt not, but believe ‘tis spoken,
That each sever’d outward token
doth the very whole contain.
Doubt not, but believe ‘tis spoken,
That each sever’d outward token
doth the very whole contain.
Nought the precious gift divides,
Breaking but the sign betides
Jesus still the same abides,
still unbroken does remain.
Breaking but the sign betides
Jesus still the same abides,
still unbroken does remain.
The shorter form of the sequence begins
here.
Lo! the angel’s food is given
To the pilgrim who has striven;
see the children’s bread from heaven,
which on dogs may not be spent.
To the pilgrim who has striven;
see the children’s bread from heaven,
which on dogs may not be spent.
Truth the ancient types
fulfilling,
Isaac bound, a victim willing,
Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,
manna to the fathers sent.
Isaac bound, a victim willing,
Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,
manna to the fathers sent.
Very bread, good shepherd, tend
us,
Jesu, of your love befriend us,
You refresh us, you defend us,
Your eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see.
Jesu, of your love befriend us,
You refresh us, you defend us,
Your eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see.
You who all things can and know,
Who on earth such food bestow,
Grant us with your saints, though lowest,
Where the heav’nly feast you show,
Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.
Who on earth such food bestow,
Grant us with your saints, though lowest,
Where the heav’nly feast you show,
Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 6:51
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 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."
"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."
"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."
Meditation: "He who
eats this bread will live forever"
What
is the bread of life which Jesus offers to all who believe in
him? It is first of all the life of God himself - life which sustains us not
only now in this age but also in the age to come. The Rabbis said that the
generation in the wilderness have no part in the life to come. In the
Book of Numbers it is recorded that the people who refused to brave the dangers
of the promised land were condemned to wander in the wilderness until they
died. The Rabbis believed that the father who missed the promised land also
missed the life to come. God sustained the Israelites in the wilderness with
manna from heaven. This bread foreshadowed the true heavenly bread which Jesus
would offer his followers.
Jesus
is the "bread of life"
Jesus makes a claim only God can make: He is the true bread of heaven that can satisfy the deepest hunger we experience. The manna from heaven prefigured the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist or Lord's Supper which Jesus gave to his disciples on the eve of his sacrifice. The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. It could not produce eternal life for the Israelites. The bread which Jesus offers his disciples sustains us not only on our journey to the heavenly paradise, it gives us the abundant supernatural life of God which sustains us for all eternity.
Jesus makes a claim only God can make: He is the true bread of heaven that can satisfy the deepest hunger we experience. The manna from heaven prefigured the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist or Lord's Supper which Jesus gave to his disciples on the eve of his sacrifice. The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. It could not produce eternal life for the Israelites. The bread which Jesus offers his disciples sustains us not only on our journey to the heavenly paradise, it gives us the abundant supernatural life of God which sustains us for all eternity.
The
food that makes us live forever
Jesus chose the time of the Jewish Feast of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum - giving his disciples his body and his blood as the true bread of heaven. Jesus' passing over to his Father by his death and resurrection - the new passover - is anticipated in the Last Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the church in the glory of God's kingdom. When the Lord Jesus commands his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he invites us to take his life into the very center of our being. That life which he offers is the very life of God himself.
Jesus chose the time of the Jewish Feast of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum - giving his disciples his body and his blood as the true bread of heaven. Jesus' passing over to his Father by his death and resurrection - the new passover - is anticipated in the Last Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the church in the glory of God's kingdom. When the Lord Jesus commands his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he invites us to take his life into the very center of our being. That life which he offers is the very life of God himself.
Do
you hunger for the "bread of life"?
Jesus offers us the abundant supernatural life of heaven itself - but we can miss it or even refuse it. To refuse Jesus is to refuse eternal life, unending life with the Heavenly Father. To accept Jesus as the bread of heaven is not only life and spiritual nourishment for this world but glory in the world to come.
Jesus offers us the abundant supernatural life of heaven itself - but we can miss it or even refuse it. To refuse Jesus is to refuse eternal life, unending life with the Heavenly Father. To accept Jesus as the bread of heaven is not only life and spiritual nourishment for this world but glory in the world to come.
When
we receive from the Lord's table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes
us sharers in his body and blood and partakers of his divine life. Ignatius of
Antioch (35-107 A.D.) calls it the "one bread that provides the
medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us
live for ever in Jesus Christ" (Ad Eph. 20,2). This
supernatural food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our
journey heavenward.
When
you approach the Table of the Lord, what do you expect to receive? Healing,
pardon, comfort, and rest for your soul? The Lord has much more for us, more
than we can ask or imagine. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist or
Lord's Supper is an intimate union with Christ. As bodily nourishment restores
lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens us in charity and enables us to
break with disordered attachments to creatures and to be more firmly rooted in
the love of Christ. Do you hunger for the "bread of life"?
"Lord
Jesus, you nourish and sustain us with your very own presence and life-giving
word. You are the bread of life - the heavenly food that sustains us now and
that produces everlasting life within us. May I always hunger for you and be
satisfied in you alone."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Let faith confirm you, by Cyril of
Jerusalem, 315-386 A.D.
"Failing
to understand his words spiritually, [the Jews] were offended and drew back,
thinking that the Savior was urging them to cannibalism. Then again in the old covenant
there was the showbread. But that, since it belonged to the old covenant, has
come to an end. In the new covenant there are the bread of heaven and the cup
of salvation, which sanctify body and soul. For as bread corresponds to the
body, so the Word is appropriate to the soul. So do not think of them as mere
bread and wine. In accordance with the Lord's declaration, they are body and
blood. And if our senses suggests otherwise, let faith confirm you. Do not
judge the issue on the basis of taste, but on the basis of faith be assured
beyond all doubt that you have been allowed to receive the body and blood of
Christ. (excerpt from MYSTAGOGICAL LECTURES 4.4–6)
Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – Cycle A
(Corpus Christ)
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
Introduction
Corpus Christi is a doctrinal feast established in honor of Christ present in the Eucharist. Its purpose is to instruct the people in the mystery, faith, and devotion surrounding the Eucharist. The celebration of the feast evolved during the 13th and 14th centuries. The Berengarian heresy of the mid-11th century (named after Berengar of Tours) taught that the Eucharist was only the figure of Christ. By the 13th century reception of communion was less emphasized and was to some extent superseded by merely seeing the Host. In 1209 Juliana of Liege had a vision which demanded a feast specifically for the Eucharist. After much persuasion the feast was celebrated for the first time in 1247, and Pope Urban IV extended it to the Universal Church in 1264. Although there is trustworthy evidence that Saint Thomas Aquinas composed two offices for the feast, it is by no means clear that the office now used is from his pen.
1st Reading - Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16a
On the plains of Moab, God charges Moses, now close to death, once more to proclaim the Law which he received through the revelation on Mount Sinai. This proclamation is contained in the 5th and last book of the Pentateuch called in Hebrew had-deb harim (the words) and by the Septuagint deuteronomion (second law). Moses is addressing a new generation of Israelites, all those who would have been under the age of 20 when the exodus began. By having the Law read again, Yahweh is saying that His covenant with Israel is made with all generations (Deuteronomy 29:13), past, present, and future: it is an everlasting covenant. We will read all of Deuteronomy chapter 8 in order to appreciate the context of today’s reading.
8:1 “Be careful to observe all the commandments I enjoin on you today, that you may live and increase, and may enter in and possess the land which the LORD promised on oath to your fathers. 2 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 your intention to keep his commandments.
Drawing lessons from the past. With themes of divine guidance and providence He uses the wilderness experience as a humbling and testing of Israel.
3 He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
This is a sort of homiletic on the manna narrative (Exodus 16; Numbers 11:16-23) which shows the importance of living by the word of God.
4 The clothing did not fall from you in tatters, nor did your feet swell these forty years. 5 So you must realize that the LORD, your God, disciplines you even as a man disciplines his son. 6 “Therefore, keep the commandments of the LORD, your God, by walking in his ways and fearing him. 7 For the LORD, your God, is bringing you into a good country, a land with streams of water, with springs and fountains welling up in the hills and valleys, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, of olive trees and of honey, 9 a land where you can eat bread without stint and where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones contain iron and in whose hills you can mine copper. 10 But when you have eaten your fill, you must bless the LORD, your God, for the good country he has given you. 11 Be careful not to forget the LORD, your God, by neglecting his commandments and decrees and statutes which I enjoin on you today: 12 lest, when you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses and lived in them, 13 and have increased your herds and flocks, your silver and gold, and all your property, 14 you then become haughty of heart and unmindful of the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; 15 who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
The name “seraph” means “fiery”. Seraphim (the choir of angles closest to God’s burning love) are depicted elsewhere in Holy Scripture as winged serpents (Isaiah 6:1-7; 14:29; 30:6). The association with scorpions suggests the effect of its bite.
its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock 16 and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers, that he might afflict you and test you, but also make you prosperous in the end.
Notice how he warns about the danger of amnesia and how, with a good historical memory a proper social ethic will be followed.
17 Otherwise, you might say to yourselves, ‘It is my own power and the strength of my own hand that has obtained for me this wealth.’ 18 Remember then, it is the LORD, your God, who gives you the power to acquire wealth, by fulfilling, as he has now done, the covenant which he swore to your fathers. 19 But if you forget the LORD, your God, and follow other gods, serving and worshiping them, I forewarn you this day that you will perish utterly. 20 Like the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so shall you too perish for not heeding the voice of the LORD, your God.
2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Saint Paul established the Christian community at Corinth during his second missionary journey (A.D. 50-52). He preached the gospel there for a year and a half, aided by Silas and Timothy. After he left Corinth, the city had a series of apostolic visitors. Apollos, a brilliant preacher (Acts 18:24-26) arrived about a year after Paul left. It is likely that around this time Peter also paid a short visit to Corinth, although it is not recorded. This letter was written shortly before Easter 57 and offers the Corinthians guidance on some areas that they have found problematic. One of the problems which Paul addresses is the significance of social gestures. The idea of unity and fellowship with God through eating a sacrifice was strong in Judaism and Christianity as well as in paganism. In Old Testament days, when a Jew offered a sacrifice, he ate a part of that sacrifice as a way of restoring his unity with God, against whom he had sinned (Deuteronomy 12:17-18). By participating in temple banquets (there were temples dedicated to the cult of the emperor, to various Greek deities, and to Egyptian gods in Corinth), Christians had no intention of worshiping idols, but Paul believed that such social gestures had an objective significance independent of the intentions of those who made them; they gave the appearance of acceptance and worship, even when it was not intended. He makes his point by using the Eucharist as an example of a banquet of unity. Catholic Christians participate in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice when they eat and drink the Body and Blood of Our Lord in Holy Communion.
16 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?
Saint Paul begins his argument by establishing a common ground. The Corinthian Christians accept the identification of the bread and wine of the Eucharist with Christ and believe that the sharing of this meal produces a common-union (communion), a shared-union (koinonia in Greek) – a union which has two focuses: Christ, and other believers. Note that the “cup of blessing” is the third cup of the Passover meal.
“That bread which you see on the altar, having been consecrated by the word of God, is the Body of Christ. That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, consecrated by the word of God, is the Blood of Christ. Through that bread and wine the Lord Christ willed to commend to us His Body and the Blood which He poured out for the remission of sins. If you have received worthily, you are what you have received.” [Saint Augustine of Hippo (ca. A.D. 391), Easter Sunday Homily, 227]
17 Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Sharing the one life-source, the Body of Christ, all believers constitute one body whose diversity is rooted in its unity. All consecrated bread constitutes the one loaf as Christ is present wholly (Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity) in each piece so that it all becomes the one loaf.
“‘Because the Bread is one, we, the many, are in one body.’ ‘Why do I say “communion?’” He says; ‘for we are that very Body.’ What is the Bread? The Body of Christ! Not many bodies, but one Body. For just as the bread, consisting of many grains, is made one, and the grains are no longer evident, but still exist, though their distinction is not apparent in their conjunction; so too we are conjoined to each other and to Christ. For you are not nourished by one Body while someone else is nourished by another Body; rather, all are nourished by the same Body.” [Saint John Chrysostom (A.D. 392), Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 24,2(4)]
“When you see [the Body of Christ] lying on the altar, say to yourself, ‘Because of this Body I am no longer earth and ash, no longer a prisoner, but free. Because of this Body I hope for heaven, and I hope to receive the good things that are in heaven, immortal life, the lot of the angels, familiar conversation with Christ. This Body, scourged and crucified, has not been fetched by death. ... This is that Body which was blood-stained, which was pierced by a lance, and from which gushed forth those saving fountains, one of blood and the other of water, for all the world.’ ... This is the Body which He gave us, both to hold in reserve and to eat, which was appropriate to intense love; for those whom we kiss with abandon we often even bite with our teeth.” [Saint John Chrysostom (A.D. 392), Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 24,4(7)]
For a companion reading, see 1 Corinthians 11:23-30.
Gospel - John 6:51-58
The time is about one year before Jesus’ death and resurrection. There are three Passover periods mentioned in Holy Scripture; all of which appear in the Gospel of John:
Jn 2:13-23 The cleansing of the temple immediately after the marriage feast at Cana.
Jn 6:4 The feeding of the 5,000 which, along with Jesus’ walking on water, immediately precede this bread of life discourse. Jn 11:55 Jesus’ passion and death
The Gospels of Matthew and Mark also include miraculous healings, the casting out of demons, and the feeding of the 4,000 prior to this event.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever;
This is the third time (verses 35 & 48 are the other two) that He identifies Himself as the “Bread of Life.” In Hebrew numerology the number three represents completeness. Jesus does not attempt to soften or alter His teaching. It is the literal meaning, not a figurative or metaphorical one, that He is trying to drive home.
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
The Eucharistic theme has been reached; the mystery has been revealed (see also Hebrews 10:5-10).
52 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?”
Many of the hearers have understood perfectly well what Jesus is saying and that He means exactly what He says, but they can’t believe that what He says could be true. How can He give them His flesh to eat? Is He going to start carving up His arm? Others may have been confused by a Semitic figure of speech where to “eat someone’s flesh” was to slander him (Psalm 27:2). If they had understood Him in a metaphorical, figurative or symbolic sense, there would have been no reason for them to quarrel. Just as Nicodemus thought of being born again in the purely physical sense (John 3:4), and the woman at the well thought only of natural water (John 4:11), so now the Jews understand the reference to His flesh literally.
53 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
We normally end our prayers with “amen” but Jesus begins His statement in this manner. Amen means “truly”, “so be it”, “I do believe”. The doubled Amen is a solemn affirmation, an oath. The faithful and true witness is Christ, the Amen (Revelation 3:14). Since two witnesses are required to sentence someone to death (Deuteronomy 17:6), Jesus is bearing the part of both witnesses and alerting them that what he is going to say has life and death consequences. This is the fourth time He has reminded them that this is a life and death situation.
unless you eat the flesh
The Greek verb used for “eat” is φαγω (fag-o). The significance of this will be seen in the next verse.
of the Son of Man
Recall that “Son of Man” is a term which Jesus applies to Himself, the New Adam (Daniel 7:13), the one who will affect the resurrection (Ezekiel 37). Jesus’ words do not encourage any figurative understanding of His pronouncement, they only underscore the literal meaning.
and drink his blood,
If the idea of eating someone’s flesh is repugnant, what about drinking their blood? To the Jewish audience this would be even more repulsive. Blood was a forbidden food under the Law (Leviticus 7:27; 17:10-14), the penalty for which was to be expelled from the tribe; they would be excommunicated. “flesh and blood” is a common Old Testament expression for life. When the two are separated, death results. By taking both, they must be partaking of a living being.
you do not have life within you.
Are dead, have no spirit.
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
The Greek verb used here for “eat” is τρóγo (tro’-go) is actually much stronger than just simply “eat” it literally means “chew”, “gnaw”. This shows that it is a real meal that He is talking about. There is now absolutely no room for saying that He is speaking symbolically. Not only has He reiterated the statement, He has strengthened it.
has eternal life,
A guarantee of life eternal. If He had been speaking symbolically, He would have been commanding them to slander Him or suffer the pain of eternal damnation.
and I will raise him on the last day.
A pledge which only God can make.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
If there had been any questions before, there is now no question at all that He is speaking quite literally.
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
Again the strong verb is used for eating. This is the fourth time, in four verses, that Jesus has said they must eat His Flesh and drink His Blood. The number four in Hebrew numerology stands for the world in its entirety (four winds, four cardinal points of the compass). The Eucharist is God’s gift to the whole world. With this rapid four verse repetition, it’s almost like Jesus is saying “what part of ‘eat’ and ‘drink’ don’t you understand?”. God is not stupid; when hearers misunderstand Jesus, He corrects their misunderstanding immediately (see John 3:3-6 for example, where Jesus corrects Nicodemus’ understanding of “born again” and explains that it is not a physical rebirth but a spiritual rebirth through baptism). Here, no correction is made because no misunderstanding exists.
remains in me and I in him.
This is covenant imagery. When people are bound by a common covenant, they are part of the same family. A person may be cast out of the tribe for drinking blood, but in doing so in this case they are made a member of the Body of Christ; an even bigger and more important family. By eating His body and drinking His blood, they are partaking in the family meal which binds them together. John 15:4 utilizes this same covenant imagery.
57 Just as the living Father sent me
What kind of life does the Father have? A spiritual/immortal one; God is not mortal.
and I have life because of the Father,
The Father and Son are one (John 14:10-11; 5:21-24); they share a life with the Holy Spirit (John 1:32; 15:26). They are a common union (communion).
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
Will share His eternal life. The Christian shares a communion with Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). How is this communion shared with Christ and the Christian community? The same way every family shares communion; by sharing a common meal – the Eucharist.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
This is the third time in this discourse (verses 31, 32 and 49) that Jesus compares the true Bread of Life, His own Body, with the manna God used to feed the Israelites every day during their 40 years of wandering. That bread was only a faint type of the Eucharist, the sacrament of life. It sustained them for 40 years; this will sustain them through all eternity.
(Corpus Christ)
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
Introduction
Corpus Christi is a doctrinal feast established in honor of Christ present in the Eucharist. Its purpose is to instruct the people in the mystery, faith, and devotion surrounding the Eucharist. The celebration of the feast evolved during the 13th and 14th centuries. The Berengarian heresy of the mid-11th century (named after Berengar of Tours) taught that the Eucharist was only the figure of Christ. By the 13th century reception of communion was less emphasized and was to some extent superseded by merely seeing the Host. In 1209 Juliana of Liege had a vision which demanded a feast specifically for the Eucharist. After much persuasion the feast was celebrated for the first time in 1247, and Pope Urban IV extended it to the Universal Church in 1264. Although there is trustworthy evidence that Saint Thomas Aquinas composed two offices for the feast, it is by no means clear that the office now used is from his pen.
1st Reading - Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16a
On the plains of Moab, God charges Moses, now close to death, once more to proclaim the Law which he received through the revelation on Mount Sinai. This proclamation is contained in the 5th and last book of the Pentateuch called in Hebrew had-deb harim (the words) and by the Septuagint deuteronomion (second law). Moses is addressing a new generation of Israelites, all those who would have been under the age of 20 when the exodus began. By having the Law read again, Yahweh is saying that His covenant with Israel is made with all generations (Deuteronomy 29:13), past, present, and future: it is an everlasting covenant. We will read all of Deuteronomy chapter 8 in order to appreciate the context of today’s reading.
8:1 “Be careful to observe all the commandments I enjoin on you today, that you may live and increase, and may enter in and possess the land which the LORD promised on oath to your fathers. 2 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 your intention to keep his commandments.
Drawing lessons from the past. With themes of divine guidance and providence He uses the wilderness experience as a humbling and testing of Israel.
3 He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
This is a sort of homiletic on the manna narrative (Exodus 16; Numbers 11:16-23) which shows the importance of living by the word of God.
4 The clothing did not fall from you in tatters, nor did your feet swell these forty years. 5 So you must realize that the LORD, your God, disciplines you even as a man disciplines his son. 6 “Therefore, keep the commandments of the LORD, your God, by walking in his ways and fearing him. 7 For the LORD, your God, is bringing you into a good country, a land with streams of water, with springs and fountains welling up in the hills and valleys, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, of olive trees and of honey, 9 a land where you can eat bread without stint and where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones contain iron and in whose hills you can mine copper. 10 But when you have eaten your fill, you must bless the LORD, your God, for the good country he has given you. 11 Be careful not to forget the LORD, your God, by neglecting his commandments and decrees and statutes which I enjoin on you today: 12 lest, when you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses and lived in them, 13 and have increased your herds and flocks, your silver and gold, and all your property, 14 you then become haughty of heart and unmindful of the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; 15 who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
The name “seraph” means “fiery”. Seraphim (the choir of angles closest to God’s burning love) are depicted elsewhere in Holy Scripture as winged serpents (Isaiah 6:1-7; 14:29; 30:6). The association with scorpions suggests the effect of its bite.
its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock 16 and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers, that he might afflict you and test you, but also make you prosperous in the end.
Notice how he warns about the danger of amnesia and how, with a good historical memory a proper social ethic will be followed.
17 Otherwise, you might say to yourselves, ‘It is my own power and the strength of my own hand that has obtained for me this wealth.’ 18 Remember then, it is the LORD, your God, who gives you the power to acquire wealth, by fulfilling, as he has now done, the covenant which he swore to your fathers. 19 But if you forget the LORD, your God, and follow other gods, serving and worshiping them, I forewarn you this day that you will perish utterly. 20 Like the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so shall you too perish for not heeding the voice of the LORD, your God.
2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Saint Paul established the Christian community at Corinth during his second missionary journey (A.D. 50-52). He preached the gospel there for a year and a half, aided by Silas and Timothy. After he left Corinth, the city had a series of apostolic visitors. Apollos, a brilliant preacher (Acts 18:24-26) arrived about a year after Paul left. It is likely that around this time Peter also paid a short visit to Corinth, although it is not recorded. This letter was written shortly before Easter 57 and offers the Corinthians guidance on some areas that they have found problematic. One of the problems which Paul addresses is the significance of social gestures. The idea of unity and fellowship with God through eating a sacrifice was strong in Judaism and Christianity as well as in paganism. In Old Testament days, when a Jew offered a sacrifice, he ate a part of that sacrifice as a way of restoring his unity with God, against whom he had sinned (Deuteronomy 12:17-18). By participating in temple banquets (there were temples dedicated to the cult of the emperor, to various Greek deities, and to Egyptian gods in Corinth), Christians had no intention of worshiping idols, but Paul believed that such social gestures had an objective significance independent of the intentions of those who made them; they gave the appearance of acceptance and worship, even when it was not intended. He makes his point by using the Eucharist as an example of a banquet of unity. Catholic Christians participate in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice when they eat and drink the Body and Blood of Our Lord in Holy Communion.
16 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?
Saint Paul begins his argument by establishing a common ground. The Corinthian Christians accept the identification of the bread and wine of the Eucharist with Christ and believe that the sharing of this meal produces a common-union (communion), a shared-union (koinonia in Greek) – a union which has two focuses: Christ, and other believers. Note that the “cup of blessing” is the third cup of the Passover meal.
“That bread which you see on the altar, having been consecrated by the word of God, is the Body of Christ. That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, consecrated by the word of God, is the Blood of Christ. Through that bread and wine the Lord Christ willed to commend to us His Body and the Blood which He poured out for the remission of sins. If you have received worthily, you are what you have received.” [Saint Augustine of Hippo (ca. A.D. 391), Easter Sunday Homily, 227]
17 Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Sharing the one life-source, the Body of Christ, all believers constitute one body whose diversity is rooted in its unity. All consecrated bread constitutes the one loaf as Christ is present wholly (Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity) in each piece so that it all becomes the one loaf.
“‘Because the Bread is one, we, the many, are in one body.’ ‘Why do I say “communion?’” He says; ‘for we are that very Body.’ What is the Bread? The Body of Christ! Not many bodies, but one Body. For just as the bread, consisting of many grains, is made one, and the grains are no longer evident, but still exist, though their distinction is not apparent in their conjunction; so too we are conjoined to each other and to Christ. For you are not nourished by one Body while someone else is nourished by another Body; rather, all are nourished by the same Body.” [Saint John Chrysostom (A.D. 392), Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 24,2(4)]
“When you see [the Body of Christ] lying on the altar, say to yourself, ‘Because of this Body I am no longer earth and ash, no longer a prisoner, but free. Because of this Body I hope for heaven, and I hope to receive the good things that are in heaven, immortal life, the lot of the angels, familiar conversation with Christ. This Body, scourged and crucified, has not been fetched by death. ... This is that Body which was blood-stained, which was pierced by a lance, and from which gushed forth those saving fountains, one of blood and the other of water, for all the world.’ ... This is the Body which He gave us, both to hold in reserve and to eat, which was appropriate to intense love; for those whom we kiss with abandon we often even bite with our teeth.” [Saint John Chrysostom (A.D. 392), Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 24,4(7)]
For a companion reading, see 1 Corinthians 11:23-30.
Gospel - John 6:51-58
The time is about one year before Jesus’ death and resurrection. There are three Passover periods mentioned in Holy Scripture; all of which appear in the Gospel of John:
Jn 2:13-23 The cleansing of the temple immediately after the marriage feast at Cana.
Jn 6:4 The feeding of the 5,000 which, along with Jesus’ walking on water, immediately precede this bread of life discourse. Jn 11:55 Jesus’ passion and death
The Gospels of Matthew and Mark also include miraculous healings, the casting out of demons, and the feeding of the 4,000 prior to this event.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever;
This is the third time (verses 35 & 48 are the other two) that He identifies Himself as the “Bread of Life.” In Hebrew numerology the number three represents completeness. Jesus does not attempt to soften or alter His teaching. It is the literal meaning, not a figurative or metaphorical one, that He is trying to drive home.
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
The Eucharistic theme has been reached; the mystery has been revealed (see also Hebrews 10:5-10).
52 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?”
Many of the hearers have understood perfectly well what Jesus is saying and that He means exactly what He says, but they can’t believe that what He says could be true. How can He give them His flesh to eat? Is He going to start carving up His arm? Others may have been confused by a Semitic figure of speech where to “eat someone’s flesh” was to slander him (Psalm 27:2). If they had understood Him in a metaphorical, figurative or symbolic sense, there would have been no reason for them to quarrel. Just as Nicodemus thought of being born again in the purely physical sense (John 3:4), and the woman at the well thought only of natural water (John 4:11), so now the Jews understand the reference to His flesh literally.
53 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
We normally end our prayers with “amen” but Jesus begins His statement in this manner. Amen means “truly”, “so be it”, “I do believe”. The doubled Amen is a solemn affirmation, an oath. The faithful and true witness is Christ, the Amen (Revelation 3:14). Since two witnesses are required to sentence someone to death (Deuteronomy 17:6), Jesus is bearing the part of both witnesses and alerting them that what he is going to say has life and death consequences. This is the fourth time He has reminded them that this is a life and death situation.
unless you eat the flesh
The Greek verb used for “eat” is φαγω (fag-o). The significance of this will be seen in the next verse.
of the Son of Man
Recall that “Son of Man” is a term which Jesus applies to Himself, the New Adam (Daniel 7:13), the one who will affect the resurrection (Ezekiel 37). Jesus’ words do not encourage any figurative understanding of His pronouncement, they only underscore the literal meaning.
and drink his blood,
If the idea of eating someone’s flesh is repugnant, what about drinking their blood? To the Jewish audience this would be even more repulsive. Blood was a forbidden food under the Law (Leviticus 7:27; 17:10-14), the penalty for which was to be expelled from the tribe; they would be excommunicated. “flesh and blood” is a common Old Testament expression for life. When the two are separated, death results. By taking both, they must be partaking of a living being.
you do not have life within you.
Are dead, have no spirit.
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
The Greek verb used here for “eat” is τρóγo (tro’-go) is actually much stronger than just simply “eat” it literally means “chew”, “gnaw”. This shows that it is a real meal that He is talking about. There is now absolutely no room for saying that He is speaking symbolically. Not only has He reiterated the statement, He has strengthened it.
has eternal life,
A guarantee of life eternal. If He had been speaking symbolically, He would have been commanding them to slander Him or suffer the pain of eternal damnation.
and I will raise him on the last day.
A pledge which only God can make.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
If there had been any questions before, there is now no question at all that He is speaking quite literally.
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
Again the strong verb is used for eating. This is the fourth time, in four verses, that Jesus has said they must eat His Flesh and drink His Blood. The number four in Hebrew numerology stands for the world in its entirety (four winds, four cardinal points of the compass). The Eucharist is God’s gift to the whole world. With this rapid four verse repetition, it’s almost like Jesus is saying “what part of ‘eat’ and ‘drink’ don’t you understand?”. God is not stupid; when hearers misunderstand Jesus, He corrects their misunderstanding immediately (see John 3:3-6 for example, where Jesus corrects Nicodemus’ understanding of “born again” and explains that it is not a physical rebirth but a spiritual rebirth through baptism). Here, no correction is made because no misunderstanding exists.
remains in me and I in him.
This is covenant imagery. When people are bound by a common covenant, they are part of the same family. A person may be cast out of the tribe for drinking blood, but in doing so in this case they are made a member of the Body of Christ; an even bigger and more important family. By eating His body and drinking His blood, they are partaking in the family meal which binds them together. John 15:4 utilizes this same covenant imagery.
57 Just as the living Father sent me
What kind of life does the Father have? A spiritual/immortal one; God is not mortal.
and I have life because of the Father,
The Father and Son are one (John 14:10-11; 5:21-24); they share a life with the Holy Spirit (John 1:32; 15:26). They are a common union (communion).
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
Will share His eternal life. The Christian shares a communion with Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). How is this communion shared with Christ and the Christian community? The same way every family shares communion; by sharing a common meal – the Eucharist.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
This is the third time in this discourse (verses 31, 32 and 49) that Jesus compares the true Bread of Life, His own Body, with the manna God used to feed the Israelites every day during their 40 years of wandering. That bread was only a faint type of the Eucharist, the sacrament of life. It sustained them for 40 years; this will sustain them through all eternity.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (Corpus
Christi)
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, JOHN 6:51-58
(Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14b-16a; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17)
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, JOHN 6:51-58
(Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14b-16a; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17)
KEY VERSE: "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them" (v.56).
TO KNOW: In John's account of Jesus' multiplication of the loaves in the wilderness, he moved from the wisdom theme of Jesus' discourse on the Bread of Life, to the Sacramental theme. The vocabulary changes graphically: "flesh and "blood," and "eat and drink." Jesus spoke clearly of the nourishment of his body and blood given to us in the Eucharist. His flesh was "real food" and his blood was "real drink." The Greek word used for dining is phagos. Jesus uses the word trogos, which means "to gnaw," or "to munch." In Jewish thought blood stood for life, and the blood belonged to God. That is why to this day orthodox Jews will not eat meat that is not completely drained of blood (kosher). When Jesus told his followers that they must drink his blood he meant that they must take his very life into themselves. Jesus is the supreme "sacrament" of God, nourishing the faithful with his own body and blood on their spiritual journey. Without this sacred food, we cannot have eternal communion with him and his Father. How unfortunate that those who claim a literal interpretation of other passages of scripture, deny the reality of Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist as explained by Jesus himself.
TO LOVE: Do I understand the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Could I explain it to others?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, feed me at your table of eternal life.
NOTE: The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms: "At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood" (#1333).
Sunday 14 June 2020
Body and Blood of Christ
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem – Psalm
147:12-15, 19-20. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. John 6:51-58.
‘We do not live on bread alone’
How easy it is to forget the Lord our God in the day-to-day
grind, and in the messy reality of our lives where we move exhaustedly from one
thing to the next. And when we are wandering in the wilderness for so long, how
do we remember God?
By God remembering for us, and reminding us of the ever-faithful
presence of the Lord who walks with us always and feeds us with manna in our
desert wanderings, when we find ourselves hungry and thirsty, for food and
water, but also, hungry and thirsty for a sign that our existence is not in
vain, hungry and thirsty for connection, to be known for who we are and still
be loved. And God, who knows our heart’s deepest longings and wonderings, feeds
us with manna and brings us through the desert wastelands safely in God’s
hands.
Saint Albert Chmielowski
Saint of the Day for June 14
(August 20, 1845 – December 25, 1916)
 |
| Opuszczona plebania | Painting by Albert Chmielowski |
Saint Albert Chmielowski’s Story
Born in Igolomia near Kraków as the eldest of four children in a
wealthy family, he was christened Adam. During the 1864 revolt against Czar
Alexander III, Adam’s wounds forced the amputation of his left leg.
His great talent for painting led to studies in Warsaw, Munich,
and Paris. Adam returned to Kraków and became a Secular Franciscan. In 1888,
when he founded the Brothers of the Third Order of Saint Francis, Servants to
the Poor, he took the name Albert. They worked primarily with the homeless,
depending completely on alms while serving the needy regardless of age,
religion, or politics. A community of Albertine sisters was established later.
Pope John Paul II beatified Albert in 1983, and canonized him six
years later. His Liturgical Feast Day is June 17.
Reflection
Reflecting on his own priestly vocation, Pope John Paul II wrote
in 1996 that Brother Albert had played a role in its formation “because I found
in him a real spiritual support and example in leaving behind the world of art,
literature, and the theater, and in making the radical choice of a vocation to
the priesthood” (Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My
Priestly Ordination). As a young priest, Karol Wojtyla repaid his debt of
gratitude by writing The Brother of Our God, a play about Brother
Albert’s life.
Lectio: Body Blood of Christ-Corpus Christi(A)
Lectio Divina
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Jesus is the Bread of Life
“Anyone who eats this Bread will live forever”
John 6:51-58
“Anyone who eats this Bread will live forever”
John 6:51-58
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us read the
Scriptures with the same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to
Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, You helped them to
discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and
death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them
the source of life and of resurrection.
Create silence in us so that we may listen to Your voice in
Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor
and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples on
the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to
others that You are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and
peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed the Father to us
and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:
On the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ we meditate on the
last part of the long discourse on the Bread of Life. During this
discourse, the Gospel of John helps us to understand the deep meaning of the
multiplication of the bread and of the Eucharist. During the reading, we will
try to be attentive to the words of Jesus which help people to understand
the sign of the Bread of Life.
b) A division of the Text to help in the reading:
John 6:51: The initial affirmation which summarizes everything
John 6:52: The contrary reaction of the Jews
John 6: 53-54: Jesus’response affirms what He said before
John 6:55-58: Jesus draws the conclusion for life
John 6:52: The contrary reaction of the Jews
John 6: 53-54: Jesus’response affirms what He said before
John 6:55-58: Jesus draws the conclusion for life
c) The Text:
51 I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone
who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is My
flesh, for the life of the world.' 52 Then the Jews started arguing among
themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' 53 Jesus replied to
them, ‘ In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Anyone who does eat My flesh
and drink My blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the
last day. 55 For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. 56 Whoever
eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me and I live in that person. 57 As
the living Father sent Me and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats Me
will also draw life from Me. 58 This is the bread which has come down from
heaven; it is not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone
who eats this bread will live forever.
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
a) Which part of the text struck me the most? Why?
b) How many times in the text is the word life used, and what does it tell us about life?
c) Jesus says, “I am the living Bread which has come down from heaven”. What does this mean? Look for an answer in the text.
d) What does this text tell us about the Person of Jesus: titles, functions, etc.?
e) In what way does this text help us to understand better the significance of the Eucharist?
b) How many times in the text is the word life used, and what does it tell us about life?
c) Jesus says, “I am the living Bread which has come down from heaven”. What does this mean? Look for an answer in the text.
d) What does this text tell us about the Person of Jesus: titles, functions, etc.?
e) In what way does this text help us to understand better the significance of the Eucharist?
5. For those who desire to go deeper into the discourse of the
Bread of Life.
a) Context in which our text is situated in the discourse of the
Bread of Life:
The discourse on the Bread of Life (Jn 6:22-71) is a sequence of
seven brief dialogues between Jesus and the persons who were with Him after the
multiplication of the loaves. Jesus tries to open the eyes of people, making
them understand that it is not sufficient to struggle to get the material
bread. The daily struggle for material bread does not touch the roots if it is
not accompanied by mysticism. The human being does not only live by bread!
(Deut 8:3) The seven brief dialogues are a very beautiful catechesis which
explains to people the profound significance of the multiplication of the
loaves and of the Eucharist. Throughout the dialogue appear the exigencies
which the living out of faith in Jesus traces for our life. People react. They
remain surprised by the words of Jesus. But Jesus does not give in.He does not
change His requirements. And because of this, many abandon Him. Even now the
same thing happens: when the Gospel begins to demand a commitment, many people
abandon it. Insofar as the discourse of Jesus advances, less people remain
around Him. At the end, only the twelve remain and Jesus cannot even counton
them!
Here is the sequence of the seven dialogues which compose the
long discourse on the Bread of Life:
John 6: 22-27:
1st Dialogue: People seek Jesus because they want more bread
John 6: 28-33:
2nd Dialogue: Jesus asks the people to work for the true bread
John 6: 34-40:
3rd Dialogue: The true bread is to do the will of God
John 6: 41-51:
4th Dialogue: He who opens himself to God accepts Jesus and His proposal
John 6: 52-58:
5th Dialogue: Flesh and Blood: expression of life and of the total gift
John 6: 59-66:
6th Dialogue: Without the light of the Spirit these words cannot be understood
John 6: 67-71:
7th Dialogue: Peter’s confession
John 6: 22-27:
1st Dialogue: People seek Jesus because they want more bread
John 6: 28-33:
2nd Dialogue: Jesus asks the people to work for the true bread
John 6: 34-40:
3rd Dialogue: The true bread is to do the will of God
John 6: 41-51:
4th Dialogue: He who opens himself to God accepts Jesus and His proposal
John 6: 52-58:
5th Dialogue: Flesh and Blood: expression of life and of the total gift
John 6: 59-66:
6th Dialogue: Without the light of the Spirit these words cannot be understood
John 6: 67-71:
7th Dialogue: Peter’s confession
b) Comment on the seven dialogues which make up the discourse of
the Bread of Life:
The year 2005 is the Year of the Eucharist. This is the reason
why, instead of commenting only on the eight verses of the Gospel of this
Sunday (John 6: 51-58), we have thought of giving a general key to understand
the seven brief dialogues which make up the whole discourse. A global vision of
the whole will help to clarify the meaning and the importance of the eight
verses of the liturgical text of this day of Corpus Christi.
1st Dialogue - John 6: 22-27: The people look for
Jesus because they want more bread
22 Next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side saw
that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not got into the boat
with His disciples, but that the disciples had set off by themselves. 23 Other
boats, however, had put in from Tiberias, near the place where the bread had
been eaten. 24 When the people saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were
there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus. 25
When they found Him on the other side, they said to Him, 'Rabbi, when did you
come here?' 26 Jesus answered, ‘In all truth I tell you, you are looking
for Me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread
you wanted to eat. 27 Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food
that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for on Him
the Father, God Himself, has set His seal.
The people see the miracle, but they do not understand that it
is a question of a sign of something greater and more profound. They
stop only on the superficial aspect of the fact, in the distribution of the
food. They look for the bread of life, but only for the body. According to the
people, Jesus does something which Moses had already done in the past:
feed everyone. And the people wanted the past to be repeated. But Jesus asks
the people to take one more step. Do not work for food that goes bad,
but work for food that endures for eternal life.
2nd Dialogue – John 6: 28-33: Jesus asks the
people to work for the true bread
28 Then they said to Him, 'What must we do if we are to carry
out God's work?' 29 Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is carrying out God's
work: you must believe in the One He has sent.' 30 So they said, 'What sign
will You yourself do, the sight of which will make us believe in You? What work
will You do? 31 Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as scripture says,“He gave
them bread from heaven to eat.”' 32 Jesus answered them. ‘ In all truth I tell
you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, it is my Father who
gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; 33 for the bread of God is the
bread which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’
The people asked,‘What must we do if we are to carry out God’s
work?’ And Jesus answers, ‘ Believe in the One God has sent!’ That is,
believe in Jesus. And the people react,‘Give us a sign to understand that You
are truly the One sent by God. Our fathers ate the manna that Moses gave them!
According to the people, Moses is and continues to be the great leader, in whom
to believe. If Jesus wants the people to believe in Him, He has to give them a
greater sign than that given by Moses. Jesus answers that the bread given by
Moses was not the true bread, because it did not guarantee the life of anyone.
All died in the desert. The true bread of God is the one which overcomes death
and gives life! Jesus tries to help people to liberate themselves from the
schema of the past. For Jesus, fidelity to the past does not mean to close up
oneself in the things of the past and to refuse or reject renewal. Fidelity to
the past means to accept what is new, which is the fruit of the seed planted in
the past.
3rd Dialogue - John 6: 34-40: The true bread is
to do the will of God.
34 'Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread always.' 35 Jesus answered
them, ‘I am the bread of life. No one who comes to Me will ever hunger; no one
who believes in Me will ever thirst. 36 But, as I have told you, you can see Me
and still you do not believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives Me will come to
Me; I will certainly not reject anyone who comes to Me, 38 because I have come
from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. 39
Now the will of Him who sent Me is that I should lose nothing of all that He
has given to Me, but that I should raise it up on the last day. 40 It is my
Father's will that whoever sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal
life, and that I should raise that person up on the last day.’
The people said, ‘Lord, give us that bread always!’ They
thought that Jesus was speaking of a special bread. Then, Jesus answers
clearly,‘I am the bread of life!’ To eat the bread of heaven is the same
as believing in Jesus and accepting the path that He has shown us, that
is, “My food is to do the will of the Father who is in heaven!” (Jn 4: 34).
This is the true food which nourishes the person, which always gives us
new life. It is a seed that guarantees resurrection!
4th Dialogue – John 6: 41-51: He who opens himself to
God accepts Jesus and His proposal
41 Meanwhile the Jews were complaining to each other about Him,
because He had said, 'I am the bread that has come down from heaven.' 42 They
were saying, 'Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph, whose father and mother we
know. How can He now say, "I have come down from heaven?" ' 43 Jesus
said in reply to them, 'Stop complaining to each other. 44 'No one can come to
Me unless drawn by the Father who sent Me, and I will raise that person up on
the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, They will all be taught by
God; everyone who has listened to the Father, and learned from Him, comes to
me. 46 Not that anybody has seen the Father, except Him who has His being from
God: He has seen the Father. 47 In all truth I tell you, everyone who believes
has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate manna in the
desert and they are dead; 50 but this is the bread which comes down from
heaven, so that a person may eat it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which
has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and
the bread that I shall give is My flesh, for the life of the world.'
The discourse becomes more demanding. Now it is the Jews, that
is, the leaders of the people, who murmur, “Is He not Jesus, the son of Joseph,
whose father and mother we know? How can He say that He has come down from
heaven?” They considered themselves capable of knowing and of recognizing the
things that come from God. But they are mistaken. If they were truly open to
the things of God, they would feel the impulse of God in themselves which
attracts them toward Jesus and would recognize that Jesus comes from God (Jn 6:
45). In the celebration of the Passover, the Jews remembered the bread of the
desert. Jesus helps them to take a step forward. The one who celebrates the
Passover remembering only the bread which the fathers ate in the desert, will
die just as all of them died! The true meaning of the Passover is not that of
recalling the manna which in the past fell from heaven, but to accept Jesus,
the Bread of Life who came down from Heaven and to follow the path that He has
traced. It does not mean to eat the flesh of the paschal lamb, but the flesh of
Jesus, who came down from heaven to give life to the world!
5th Dialogue - John 6: 52-58: Flesh and Blood:
the expression of life and of the total gift.
52 Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, 'How can this
man give us His flesh to eat?' 53 Jesus replied to them, ‘ In all truth I tell
you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you
have no life in you. 54 Anyone who does eat My flesh and drink My blood has
eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day. 55 For My flesh
is real food and My blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My
blood lives in Me and I live in that person. 57 As the living Father sent Me
and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats Me will also draw life from
Me. 58 This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the
bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will
live for ever.’
The Jews reacted, “How can this man give us his flesh to
eat?” They did not understand these words of Jesus, because the profound
respect for life demanded that from the time of the Old Testament it was
forbidden to drink blood, because the blood was the sign of life (Deut
12:16, 23). Besides, it was close to the Passover and in a few days everyone
would have eaten the meat and the blood of the Paschal Lamb in the celebration
of the night of the Passover. They took the words of Jesus literally.That
is why they did not understand. To eat the flesh of Jesus meant to
accept Jesus as the new Paschal Lamb.His blood will free them from slavery. To
drink the blood of Jesus meant to assimilate His way of life which
characterized the life of Jesus. What gives life is not to celebrate the manna
of the past, but rather to eat this new bread which is Jesus, His flesh and His
blood. Participating in the Eucharistic Supper, we assimilate His life, His
gift of self, His dedication.
6th Dialogue – John 6:59-66: Without the light of
the Spirit these words cannot be understood,
59 This is what He taught at Capernaum in the synagogue. 60
After hearing it, many of His followers said, 'This is intolerable language.
How could anyone accept it?' 61 Jesus was aware that His followers were
complaining about it and said, 'Does this disturb you? 62 What if you should
see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before? 63 'It is the spirit that
gives life; the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are
spirit and they are life. 64 'But there are some of you who do not believe.'
For Jesus knew from the outset who did not believe and who was to betray Him.
65 He went on, 'This is why I told you that no one could come to Me except by
the gift of the Father.' 66 After this, many of His disciples went away and
accompanied Him no more.
Here ends the discourse of Jesus in the synagogue at Capernaum.
Many of His disciples thought,‘Jesus is exaggerating too much! He is putting an
end to the celebration of the Passover! He is taking the central place of our
religion!’ For this reason many people abandoned the community and no longer
followed Jesus. Jesus reacted by saying, “It is the spirit who gives life; the
flesh has nothing to offer. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and
they are life”. We should not take what he says literally. It is only
with the help of the light of the Holy Spirit that it is possible to understand
the full meaning of everything that Jesus says (Jn 14: 25-26; 16: 12-13).
7th Dialogue - Jn 6: 67-71: Confession of Peter.
67 Then Jesus said to the Twelve, 'What about you, do you want
to go away too?' 68 Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the message of eternal life, 69 and we believe; we have come to know that You
are the Holy One of God.' 70 Jesus replied to them, 'Did I not choose the
Twelve of you? Yet one of you is a devil.' 71 He meant Judas son of Simon
Iscariot, since this was the man, one of the Twelve, who was to betray Him.
At the end only the twelve remained. Jesus said to them, “What
about you, do you want to go away too?” For Jesus, what is important is not the
number of people who are around Him. He does not change the discourse when the
message does not please others. Jesus speaks to reveal the Father and not to
please others.
He prefers to remain alone, more than being accompanied by persons who do not accept the Father’s project. The response of Peter is beautiful: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life!” Even without understanding everything, Peter accepts Jesus and believes in Him. In spite of all his limitations, Peter is not like Nicodemus, who wished to see everything clearly, to confirm his own ideas.
He prefers to remain alone, more than being accompanied by persons who do not accept the Father’s project. The response of Peter is beautiful: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life!” Even without understanding everything, Peter accepts Jesus and believes in Him. In spite of all his limitations, Peter is not like Nicodemus, who wished to see everything clearly, to confirm his own ideas.
a) To deepen more: Eucharist and New Exodus
In describing the multiplication of the loaves, the Gospel of
John suggests a parallel with Exodus: Jesus who walks on the water and the
discourse of the Bread of Life. This parallel shows that through the Eucharist
a new Exodus takes place. The Eucharist helps us to live in a permanent state
of Exodus:
i) The multiplication of the loaves (Jn 6:1-15):
Jesus has before Him a hungry crowd and the challenge to
guarantee bread for all. Even though Moses had to face this challenge during
the time of itinerancy of the people in the desert (Ex 16: 1-35; Num 11:
18-23). After having eaten, the people fed and satisfied recognize in Jesus the
new Moses, the “Prophet who is to come into the world” (Jn 6:14), according to
what has been announced in the Law of the Covenant (Deut 18:15-22).
ii) Jesus walks on the water (Jn 6:16-21):
In Exodus, the people are itinerant in order to obtain freedom
and face and overcome the sea (Ex 14:22). Jesus also, like Moses, dominates and
overcomes the sea, preventing the boat of his disciples from being
swallowed up by the waves, and does in such a way that they get safely to
the other shore.
iii) The discourse on the Bread of Life (Jn 6: 22-58):
The discourse evokes Chapter 16 of the book of Exodus which
describes the story of the manna. When Jesus speaks of “a food which does not
perish” (Jn 6:27) He hears some people “murmuring” or complaining against Jesus
(Jn 6: 41), do the same thing that the Israelites in the desert, who doubted
the presence of God in their long journey (Ex 16: 2; 17: 3; Num 11:1). The Jews
doubted the presence of God in Jesus of Nazareth (Jn 6: 42). Jesus is the true
Manna who gives us eternal life.
6. Psalm 85 (84)
Justice and Peace embrace one another
Yahweh, You are gracious to Your land,
You bring back the captives of Jacob,
You take away the guilt of Your people,
You blot out all their sins.
You retract all Your anger,
you renounce the heat of your fury.
You bring back the captives of Jacob,
You take away the guilt of Your people,
You blot out all their sins.
You retract all Your anger,
you renounce the heat of your fury.
Bring us back, God our Savior,
appease Your indignation against us!
Will You be angry with us for ever?
Will You prolong your wrath age after age?
Will You not give us life again,
for Your people to rejoice in You?
Show us, Lord, Your faithful love,
grant us Your saving help.
appease Your indignation against us!
Will You be angry with us for ever?
Will You prolong your wrath age after age?
Will You not give us life again,
for Your people to rejoice in You?
Show us, Lord, Your faithful love,
grant us Your saving help.
I am listening. What is God's message?
Yahweh's message is peace for His people,
for His faithful, if only they renounce their folly.
His saving help is near for those who fear Him,
His glory will dwell in our land.
Faithful love and loyalty join together,
Saving justice and peace embrace.
Loyalty will spring up from the earth,
and justice will lean down from heaven.
Yahweh's message is peace for His people,
for His faithful, if only they renounce their folly.
His saving help is near for those who fear Him,
His glory will dwell in our land.
Faithful love and loyalty join together,
Saving justice and peace embrace.
Loyalty will spring up from the earth,
and justice will lean down from heaven.
Yahweh will Himself give prosperity,
and our soil will yield its harvest.
Justice will walk before Him,
treading out a path.
and our soil will yield its harvest.
Justice will walk before Him,
treading out a path.
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that has enabled us to
understand better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions
and grant us the strength to practice what Your Word has revealed to us. May
we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You
who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and
ever. Amen.
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