TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Proverbs 9:1-6; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58)
For the past four Sundays, we have been traversing the sixth
chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. This section of the Gospel gives us
the meaning of the Eucharist, "the source and summit of Christian
life." The first three Sundays highlighted Jesus as the Bread of Life. As he
said, he is the bread that came down from heaven so that those who believe in
him may have eternal life. Today’s Gospel reading focuses on how Jesus
transmits His life.
Jesus says: “...the bread that I will give is my flesh, for
the life of the world.” If we paid close attention, we would have noticed that
this phrase resembles the words of Jesus at the Last Supper according to St.
Luke: “This is my body which is given for you...” We saw before how the Gospel
of John uses "flesh" instead of "body" to avoid ambiguity. Jesus
truly offers himself for our consumption in the Eucharist.
It is important to note how the life of Jesus is transmitted
to recipients each time they eat His body and drink His blood. Nutritionists
like to say that we are what we eat. To some extent, they are right. If we eat
fruits and vegetables, we will be healthier. But we don’t become lettuce and tomatoes.
However, by partaking in the Eucharist, we are turned more and more into images
of Jesus.
It seems crucial to remember what Jesus said to the
Samaritan woman in His dialogue at the well: the water he would give her would
spring up to eternal life. That is, the water of baptism opens the way to life
forever. However, this life would quickly be crushed if it weren’t strengthened
by the Body of Christ. Just as termites rot wood, sin deteriorates the soul,
rendering it incapable of doing good. It needs the Body and Blood of Christ to
resist sins destructive effect.
During the Last Supper in John, Jesus uses a metaphor that
helps His disciples understand the necessity of the Eucharist. He says that he is
the vine, and they are the branches. If the branches do not remain in him, they
cannot bear fruit. Indeed, if they do not stay connected to him, they wither
and die, good for nothing but fuel for the fire. We can add that we remain in
Christ by eating the bread that is His flesh.
The Last Supper in the Gospel of John does not mention Jesus
blessing the bread with the words: “This is my body.” Instead, we hear their
equivalent in chapter six. At the Last
Supper, however, Jesus demonstrates the purpose of the Eucharist when he washes
the feet of His disciples. The Eucharist not only strengthens us to resist sin,
but it also moves us to perform acts of love. The two actions are aligned. If
we do not love others at least by wishing them well, we will despise them in
one way or another. On the road, if we do not show patience with slow drivers,
we may curse them. Didn’t something like this happen during the opening
ceremony of the Olympics? Having lost their love for Jesus, the program
directors tried to mock him.
Now we have a better idea of what eternal life is. It is to
love as Jesus loved. We begin this love here and now through the service we
render to others. It is not always easy or pleasant to love as Jesus loved, but
it is worth the effort because we have joined ourselves to him. This kind of love
does not end with death. It will be the lever that lifts us up from the dead.
Then we will enjoy the fullness of love without pain or tears in the physical presence
of the Lord.
