Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 9, 2019 - 3rd Week of Easter - Thurs
[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 we come to the big "UH OH!" moment in the Bread of Life discourse. Up to now, Jesus has been focusing on faith in him as the "bread of life." Suddenly, so it seems, he is talking about REAL bread, and not just an analogy! He is going to give his very body to those who believe in him! As we will see in tomorrow's (Friday's) section, the reaction of the audience is, "Say what? You've got to be kidding?" No, my friends, he is not kidding. He is very serious. He will give a challenge to faith like no other challenge.
At every celebration of the Eucharist, we witness a kind of miracle. The bread and wine that we offer, along with our lives, hopes, triumphs and challenges, become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ by the action of the Holy Spirit that he has given to us. The celebrant extends his hands over the gifts and says (in Eucharistic Prayer II): "Make, holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."
This happens so many times for us that we may take it for granted. The original audience was shocked. Many of our Christian brothers and sisters of other denominations still find this too difficult to accept, even though they believe in the inerrancy of scripture! The challenge can be even greater for those coming from non-Christian backgrounds. Take a deep breath. Jesus is going to get more explicit tomorrow! AMEN
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