21st sunday in ordinary time

Posted on by Cassie

You Have the Words of Eternal Life

As we come to the end of the “Bread of Life  Discourse” in St. John’s Gospel, Jesus’ words demand a response.  Our Lord claims to be sent by God to give us eternal life.  He demands that we believe Him if we are to receive this life.

Jesus offers us His flesh and blood as life – giving nourishment.  We have to either stake our lives on Jesus being who He says He is, able to do what He claims He can do, or dismiss Jesus as a deluded wonderworker, who came to an unfortunate end on the cross.  Many who encountered Jesus did dismiss Him because of His claims, even some who had been His disciples.

Believing in Jesus as the God- sent source of eternal life is no small act of faith.  Human eyes can look at Jesus and see only a man- an extraordinary man, certainly, but nonetheless only a man.  Jesus acknowledges this when He says “the flesh is of no avail”.  It takes more than ordinary sight to see who Jesus is.  It requires God’s help; it requires the gift of the spirit.

In the other three Gospels, Peter professes faith in Jesus as the Messiah.  (Matt 16:16; Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20).  John’s Gospel formulates Peter’s confession  in light of the particular message of this Gospel.  Peter acknowledges that Jesus has “the words of eternal life” and professes that “we have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God”.  Peter believes in Jesus as the one sent by God to bring eternal life.  John’s Gospel invites us to the same act of faith.

As we live our personal response to the message of Jesus, let us turn to Him as the one through whom we will be raised up to eternal life.  As we receive Holy Communion today let us profess our faith in Jesus, the Word made flesh, sent by the Father to bring us to Him.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

20th sunday in ordinary time

Posted on by Cassie

For the last few weeks our Sunday gospel comes from Chapter 6 of St. John’s gospel.  This Chapter is call the “Bread of Life Discourse”.  The first verse of today’s gospel is the climax of what Jesus has been saying since verse 32, and adds to the note that the bread that Jesus will give for the life of the world is His flesh.

If Jesus had stopped her, we could understand Him to mean that His flesh would be given over in crucifixion to bring life to the world.  While His words carry this meaning, what Jesus says next gives them an additional depth of meaning.

Jesus’ listeners take His words very literally and thereby misunderstand them.  Jesus is speaking of His flesh as real food and His blood as real drink, but as given in the Eucharist.  Through eating His flesh and drinking His blood eucharistically we are joined with Him and abide (remain) in Him, thereby entering into the life shared by the Father and the Son.  This life is eternal life: “whoever eats this bread will live forever”.  Jesus emphasizes that He is our only access to eternal life.  If we do not eat His flesh and drink His blood we do not have life, but it we do share in His flesh and blood we have eternal  life and will be raised up on the last day.

Jesus had invited His listeners to come to Him and believe in Him as the bread of life, and He now invites them to partake of this bread eucharistically, receiving the body and blood that will be offered on the cross for the life of the world.  Jesus does not simply want to teach us about Himself, the He lives in us and we in Him.  This He accomplishes by giving Himself to us in the Eucharist.  The word became flesh– and He offers His flesh to us as the bread of life.

WHAT A GIFT WE HAVE IN THE EUCHARIST!

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell