"This is my body..."
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Date: August 19, 2012
First Reading: Proverbs 9:1-6
Second Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20
Gospel: John 6: 51-58
If you are a regular mass-goer, you will notice that our
gospel this Sunday is almost the same these past few Sundays. Jesus talked
about himself as the bread of life. Yes, you are right. Our gospel this Sunday
is only a part of Jesus’ long discourse about the bread of life that came down
from heaven to give life. This started last July 29 (17th Sunday)
where Jesus fed the 5,000 and there were 12 baskets left. Then the following Sunday, August 5 (18th Sunday), he claimed “I am
the bread of life.” Then, last Sunday,
August 12 (19th Sunday), he once again claimed “I am the bread of
life.” And he still said today: “I am the bread of life.”
In our gospel today, the Jews murmured why Jesus was
saying that he will give his flesh to eat (John 6: 52). “Unless you eat of the flesh
of the Son of Man and dink his blood, you do not have life within you. (John 6:
53)
Once there was a parishioner who approached me and said: “Father,
when Jesus said that he will give his flesh to eat, it sounded very morbid and
cannibalistic.” I told him, do you know that the early Christians were accused
of cannibalism for reputedly eating the
body of Christ?
My parishioner exclaimed with an open mouth: “Ewww.”
Eating his flesh and drinking the blood of
Christ shows the deep intimacy of our relationship with Him. Jesus said, “Whoever
eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” (John 6:57) For
the Jews, it is forbidden to drink blood. Thus, it is not surprising that they
could not accept what Jesus said. On the other hand, eating his flesh and
drinking his blood is a description of our oneness in the Eucharist. It shows here
the height, depth, length and breadth of
Christ’s relation to those who receive Him. Not only that, it also shows the height, depth, length and breadth of
the bond between believers. Jesus indeed is the food and drink who gives life,
not only in the present but also in the life to come.
During the time of the early Christians, Emperor Domitian
of Rome ordered that the whole empire worship him as god. The Christians had to
make brave decisions whether they are for Christ or for the emperor. If they
truly profess Christ in the liturgy and in their life, then they must face
persecution. Believe it or not, a handful of Christians opposed the decree of
the Emperor and they victoriously became martyrs. The blood of the martyrs
became the seeds of the Church.
But more than the deep intimacy, the flesh and blood of Christ in the Eucharist is of real presence.
We partake of the real body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. We affirm in
the Eucharistic Prayer, “This is my body” and not “This is the symbol of my
body.” If we eat ordinary bread, it is transformed into an energy which becomes
useful for the body. However, if we receive Christ as our bread of life, we
become part of His body. In this way, his
values and principles become ours too. His life becomes our life. His service
becomes our service. His mission becomes our mission. St. Augustine beautifully
captured this in a vision that said to him: “I
am the bread of the strong, eat me! But you will not transform me and make me
part of you; rather, I will transform you and make you part of me.”
Watch out! Jesus’ discourse on the bread of life doesn’t end
this Sunday. Next Sunday, many who hear this message will turn their backs on
him. Then he will ask the twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
The answer will be next week.
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