Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(1 Kings 19:4-8, Ephesians 4:30-5:2; John 6:41-51)
Dear sisters and brothers, today we continue reading from the
"Discourse on the Bread of Life" from the Gospel according to St.
John. Last Sunday we heard that the people resisted believing in Jesus. Now we
read that they are murmuring against him. They have moved from unbelief to
rejection. For this reason, the evangelist describes them not as "the
people" or "the crowd" but as "the Jews." The Jews will
expel Christians from their synagogues fifty years in the future when the
evangelist was writing.
From the beginning of the reading, the Jews show a
misunderstanding of Jesus. In today's gospel, they say they know his family.
That is, they know Mary, Joseph, and Jesus’ other relatives who live in
Nazareth. This claim is also incorrect. In the four gospels, it is not the
blood family that matters to Jesus but his spiritual family. His disciples who believe in Him constitute
His true family.
But it is difficult to maintain faith in Jesus. In today's
reading, the people have to overcome their doubts about his family and his
declaration that he has come down from heaven. Nowadays, many do not believe in
Jesus because his moral teachings seem extreme. They say, "How dare he say
that sex outside of marriage is always wrong?" or "How can he expect
us to forgive those who have insulted us in public?" Others do not believe in
Jesus because of the claims the Church makes about him: that he rose from the
dead and that he is the Lord God.
To nourish the faith of believers, Jesus gives them
spiritual food. The last time he will share a meal with his disciples, Jesus breaks bread
and gives it to them, saying, "This is my body." It is divine bread
that makes his disciples divine men and women like Jesus. They can now trust in
his words despite what unbelievers say. They can now explain how his
resurrection is a transhistorical event that will not be replicated until the
end of time. Then the bodies of all believers will pass from death to eternal
life.
Of course, unbelievers will object to the assertion that the
bread on the altar is the body of Christ. Unfortunately, even many Catholics
think it is only a symbol that reminds us of Jesus. However, in this Gospel
according to St. John, Jesus emphasizes that He is truly present in the
Eucharist: body, blood, soul, and divinity. He does not say that He gives His
"body" but His "flesh." Just as a lion devours the flesh of
its prey, Christians devour the flesh of Jesus. This food gives us the strength
to advance on the long journey to eternal life. For this reason, we have the
story of Elijah as today’s first reading. Just as Elijah had the strength to
complete the long journey after eating the baked bread and drinking the jar of
water, we can overcome sin by partaking of the body and blood of Christ.
Two more thoughts. First, although the "Jews"
appear as enemies of Jesus in the Gospel of John, several in reality became the
first Christians. They should in no way be considered enemies of Christians
today. Second and more importantly, it is not our faith that makes the bread
and wine the Body and Blood of Christ. Rather, our faith permits the Body and Blood of Christ to be efficacious in giving us eternal life. By believing in him and
being nourished by his body and blood, we can fulfill his teachings and partake
in his life.
