Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 18, 2024 - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Prov 9:1-6; Eph 5:15-20; John 6:51-58]"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food,and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." [John]
With these words Jesus drew a kind of "line in the sand" theologically. They are at the center of Catholic faith. They were a challenge to the Jewish authorities and the disciples alike. We are told that some left Jesus because of this teaching. This prompted the question from Jesus to those who were still there, "Do you also want to leave?" Peter responded, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Jesus' words and his Body and Blood are the foundation of our Catholic faith.
The bishops of the USA proclaimed a program of "Eucharistic Revival" that has been going on for the past couple of years. It culminated, in a way, with a big "Eucharistic Congress" this Summer in Indianapolis, IN. Thousands of people gathered in a stadium as testimony to the importance of Catholic faith in Jesus' teaching and gift of the Eucharist. The papal nuncio, Cardinal Pierre, gave a presentation that I think is a masterpiece of catechesis on the Eucharist and I urge my Beloved Congregation to read it. He points out that the Eucharist is not simply something we consume, but something we must live in love of neighbor as well. The first two scriptures for today from Proverbs and Ephesians focus on wisdom which is not something to be stored up but shared. The Body of Christ is shared not only at the liturgy of the Eucharist but in ordinary life. It is not just a symbol but a taste of heaven to be passed around in many ways. Communion is bigger than we realize! AMEN