JESUS, THE LIVING BREAD FROM HEAVEN
First Reading: Deuteronomy 8: 2-3 and 14-16
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10: 16-17
Gospel Reading: John 6: 51-58
*First reading is from the book of Deuteronomy. Moses reminds the people of Israel to acknowledge the Lord God's saving power which accompanied them throughout their journey to the promised land. He exhorts them to remember that they are Lord God's own people and they need to nourish themselves on His Word. However the Lord God tests them in the wilderness. He makes them hungry for food so that they may realize that the Word of God is more important and nourishing than mere perishable food.
*Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. Paul explains to the Christian community at Corinth and to us how the participation in the Eucharistic celebration can become a source of strength to Christian solidarity and oneness. As food and drink nourish the body, so the body and blood of Christ nourish us spiritually. As a result of receiving the body and blood of Jesus through the Holy Communion, an intimate union between Christ and the recipient takes place.
Life-giving presence of Jesus in the Eucharist Today's Gospel reading is from St. John Chapter 6, which has elaborate descriptions of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Jesus explains to His disciples and other Jews that to be a part of Him, it is essential that they eat His body and drink His blood. He affirms that He is the living bread that has come down from heaven which alone gives eternal life. Listening to this strange teaching of Jesus, many of the Jews who were His followers till that time take offence and no longer follow Him. Because, for a Jew to eat the body and drink the blood of another person is totally unacceptable and unthinkable. Yet, Jesus firmly affirms this teaching on Eucharist. Later at the last supper, Jesus ratifies His teaching on Eucharist by offering His body and His blood as food and drink to His disciples. The feast of Corpus Christi recalls to our mind all that Jesus did to give His own life for us, especially by sharing His body and blood. It signifies the totality of His self-gift to all His followers. The Eucharistic celebration implies serious challenges and obligations for everyone of us Christians. More than mere participation, it demands a Christ-like life from His followers.
" God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar." - St. Maxmillian Kolbe
"And just as He appeared before the holy Apostles in true flesh, so now he has us see Him in the sacred bread." - St. Francis of Assisi
"In each of our lives, Jesus comes as the bread of life to be eaten, to be consumed by us. This is how He loves us." - St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
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