FRIDAY, THIRD WEEK OF EASTER
Acts 9: 1-20 Ps 117: 1-2 Jn 6: 52-59
A MUTUAL ABIDING
Paul’s life prior to encountering Jesus was defined by relentless and violent efforts to eradicate the ‘followers of the Way.’ His dramatic transformation from a persecutor to a proclaimer is a testament to the radical nature of his conversion. Like Paul, we often need crises to transform us; i.e., to break our resistance to God’s will, and ready us for it to be accomplished in our life. Paul’s story proves that no sin is too great, no evil too wicked to prevent us from receiving the grace of God and His unconditional love and mercy flowing from the cross. As Paul heard, we too are called: “Go…you will be told what to do.” A Christian is one who has ceased to do what he/she wants to do and who has begun to do what Christ wants him/her to do. This requires surrendering to God’s work of grace within us.
In the Gospel – the Eucharistic theme comes to the fore: “This is my body” – the bread that is Jesus Himself, giving life to the world. Unlike the manna in the wilderness that sustained solely the mortal life of the Israelites, the flesh and blood of the Lord offer eternal life. The eating of Christ’s flesh and the drinking of His blood brings about a mutual abiding of the believer and Christ, indicating a personal relationship of faith and trust, a sacred and extraordinary gift that is unmerited and incomprehensible. Furthermore, when Jesus commands us to drink His blood, He invokes deep Jewish understanding: blood represents life itself which belongs solely to God (Lev 17:11). Thus, He means: “Take My divine life into your deepest being.” In the Eucharist, we are nourished by the Bread of eternal life. But we must ask: Do we truly consume His Body and Blood with faith and love, thus opening ourselves to a mutual abiding? And secondly, if God’s gift is His very self, his “flesh and blood”, what gift do we offer in return?
Response: Go into all the world, and proclaim the Gospel.
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