Word to the Wise
Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 3rd Week of Easter - Sat
[Acts 9:31-42 and John 6:60-69]As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, Master, to whom shall we go: You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
The "Bread of Life" discourse comes to an end with Jesus' pointed question to the Twelve! It is somewhat like the question asked in the other gospels,"Who do you say that I am?" In this case, one might get the impression that the issue was the teaching about the Eucharist because the question comes at the end of the passage from yesterday's gospel scripture about eating the flesh and blood of Christ. But scripture scholars have pointed to this as an "insertion" by the author to take advantage of the earlier reference to the "manna from heaven." Thus, the desertion of some disciples and the loyalty of the Twelve are a response to Jesus' claim to have come from heaven and that he has the words of eternal life. This claim is as radical as the teaching about the eucharist!
I once asked a young woman whom I instructed in the faith what was the most difficult teaching of the church for her to accept. She answered right away: "The Eucharist! Once I accepted that, the rest was easy!" Perhaps the community was having difficulties on two levels when the gospel came into writing. Some could not believe that Jesus had come from heaven like the manna of old. Others may have had trouble accepting that the eucharistic bread and wine are the body and blood of the Lord. Ultimately, if we accept the first teaching about the words of eternal life - the bread from heaven - then that same power should be able to make the eucharistic claim to be true as well. Jesus' challenge comes to us on two "fronts" then. Our Catholic tradition tells us, "You can't have one without the other!" AMEN