Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 4, 2017 - 3rd Week of Easter - Thurs
[Acts 8:26-40 and John 6:44-51,902]"I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and that bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world." [John]
These words at the end of today's portion of the "bread of life" discourse are the "grabber" of the discourse. There are two "I AM" statements and one "Amen, amen, I say to you" statement that lend importance. The "Amen, amen...." statement will be echoed again and again. "Whoever believes has eternal life." Faith in Jesus is the central theme of the gospel. However, there is a "shift," that I mentioned earlier, from simply believing in Jesus to expressing that faith by "eating his flesh and drinking his blood." Uh, oh! The audience, as we will see, will misunderstand this as cannibalism!
Scripture scholars opine that the evangelist wished to include two things. One is faith in Jesus, but the second is "eucharistic" in character. We know from St. Paul's epistles, which antedate the Gospel According to John, that the community had begun early to interpret Jesus' actions at the Last Supper literally and this belief is at the center of our worship. We cannot, as many of our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters, separate faith in Jesus from faith in his words about the eucharist. They are part of one reality. Theologians and philosphers have given much speculation as to how this takes place. The Council of Trent came up with the biggest word in a Catholic kid's religious vocabulary when I was young: "transubstantiation." What we have are Jesus' words that we must do this in the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup, consecrated in his name and in memory of him. This is his flesh and blood. It is a matter of faith.
The "bread of life" discourse will go on, and we will follow. Again I recommend reading the whole chapter to grasp the power of the teaching. It is our life and the life of the world. AMEN
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