Word to the Wise
Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 3rd Week of Easter - Thurs
[Acts 8:26-40 and John 6:44-51]No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
The "Bread of Life" discourse continues to occupy the "gospel position" at this time! Many themes and thoughts are wound around in it and it is difficult to simply isolate one thread. I find it helpful to keep the "big picture" in mind. The Gospel of John is about revelation. Jesus continually speaks and acts as the revelation of the Father. Subsequent Christian reflection and sacramental practice may have influenced the gospel writer so that "eucharistic" tones are heard in this discourse. Scripture scholars have noted that the portion we read today shows the influence of Jewish preaching style and that the setting may reflect the Jewish "lectionary" of the time. It is all a very rich mix! Today we can rejoice in the words quoted above.
Anyone who takes the time to read this reflection or similar ones as an aid to understanding could be said to be "drawn" toward the revelation of God in Jesus. We come to the word of God, the Bread of Life. This bread gives life in a way that the manna in the desert could not. Our efforts to understand will be aided by the Spirit, who "will teach us all things." This "revelation" is completed and enriched by the physical reception of the eucharist. So much of our Catholic spirituality is bound up in this, but we first need to carefully and intentionally read what is written in the word of God so that we can receive the Word of God. AMEN