Friday of the
Third Week of Easter
(Acts 9:1-20; John 6:52-59)
Many people today are concerned about quality of life. The elderly worry about having good health in
retirement. For them quality of life is not to have to live
with chronic pain and, even more critical, not to lose their minds. Meanwhile, young people consider quality of life in economic terms. For them to have a high quality of life means to have the money to buy season tickets to
their favorite sports team’s home games and to take a cruise every other
year. In today’s gospel Jesus has an
alternative conception of quality of life
to consider.
Of course, Jesus does not use the term quality of life at all. Rather he speaks of as having his life within. His life
is much more than biological life, which bread and wine by themselves can sustain. No, he means eternal life or life in
abundance which comes from participating in God’s love. It is a life of gratitude because one is
assured of God loves for her or him. The
Eucharist, Jesus’ gift of his body and blood, depicts this perfectly. Derived from the Greek language, the word means
to be thankful.
We are a Eucharistic people -- a people who continually
give thanks to God. Yet we strive to
become ever more so. We see the efforts
people make for us and thank them. We
recognize how we have benefitted from the work of people in times past and feel
a sense of gratitude for them as well.
Even if our quality of life is not that great in the eyes of others, we know
differently. Sick or well, poor or rich,
we enjoy a high quality of life because we know of God’s love for us and are
thankful for it.
