Word to the Wise
Thursday, April 18, 2024 - 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]
The Bread of Life discourse up to now has focused on bread as both a historical feature (the Manna in the desert) and an analogy of Jesus as the "bread of life," along with the idea that faith in Jesus is the beginning of eternal life in the present as well as on the "last day." But the last line in today's passage opens the door to a reality that challenges our faith and is at the root of our Eucharistic worship: "[A]nd the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world."
A survey by the respected Pew Research Center in 2019 purported to show that only a third of practicing Catholics really believe in the Eucharist as traditionally taught by the Church. The belief that the bread and wine at the celebration of the Eucharist are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ is at the center of all Catholic worship. The Second Vatican Council refers to it as the "source and summit" of all Catholic faith. Tomorrow (Friday) we will have before us Jesus' words in response to the question asked by the crowd: "How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?" All of us who are baptized Catholics as well as anyone interested in the teachings of Christ can join in that question and its implications for the world. Stay tuned! AMEN