Word to the Wise
Thursday, April 19, 2018 - 3rd Week of Easter - Thurs
[Acts 8:26-40 and John 6:44-51]THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018. THURSDAY IN THE THIRD WEEK OF EASTER [Acts 8:26-40 and John 6:44-51] “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 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.” [John] Today’s passage from the “Bread of Life” discourse marks a shift in the meaning of the term from simple faith in Jesus to acceptance of his presence in the form of his “flesh and blood.” He has already told us that eternal life begins with faith in him as the one whom God has sent. But now, he tells us that we have eternal life if we consume him! This shift is at the root of some of our differences with our brothers and sisters of other non-Catholic Christian traditions. The crowd will ask (tomorrow), “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” This remains the question for many even today. As I mentioned earlier, “Amen, amen” statements mean important truths, and some of these truths are expressed in “I AM” statements that follow the “Amen, amen” introduction. We have one today when Jesus says, “Whoever believes HAS eternal life. I am the bread of life.” This leads to the startling words: “and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” This plunges us into a central mystery of our faith. If Jesus is the one whom God has sent, can’t he make this happen? Stay tuned! AMEN