COME, LORD JESUS!

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 13:24-32

Throughout human history, people have always questioned themselves about the end of times, that is, the end of the world. It is always conceived of as a "time of great distress" when people must endure all kinds of suffering. It will be a time of chaos, when nature will rebel against itself, bringing in the collapse of the natural order. It is accepted, even by scientists, that the world will end. When will that happen? Science has no answer for that. However, some people claim to have special and secret knowledge that enables them to assert the time and date of such an event. During the most difficult periods of history, eschatological movements have led people to prepare themselves for the incoming end. And so it is during this time of ours. many groups, while predicting the end of the world, call on people to be prepared and take measures to survive.

Christians associate the end of times with the second coming of Jesus Christ. He will come to fulfil the work of salvation, establishing a new order by creating new heavens and new earth. Then, we will be filled with the glory of God, who will be all in all (1 Co 15:28). This crowning of the work of salvation will be preceded by judgment. Seated on his throne of glory, Jesus Christ will reward or punish us according to our choices and behaviour here on earth.

“And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; then too he will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven.”

That’s why the Christians don’t live in fear but call on the Lord Jesus: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Ap 22:20; 1 Co 16:22)). Do not delay, Lord. Come and bring the fulfilment of the Kingdom of God. As for the time of the end of the world, we should not worry. Nobody knows: “But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.”

For that day - be it the end of our lives or the end of the world, we must be prepared:

Stay awake, praying at all times

for the strength to stand with confidence

before the Son of Man. (Lk21:36)

THE LORD GIVES BREAD TO THE HUNGRY

XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 12:38-44

We are invited to look at two widows and learn from them this Sunday.

In the first reading, we find the prophet Elijah being ordered by God to leave the land of Israel and go to Zarephath in Sidon, where he found refuge in a widow’s home. She was destitute, having nothing more than “a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug.” (1 King 17:10-16). With so little, in a time of famine, she was preparing for death in the company of her son. However, despite her hopeless situation, at the prophet’s word, she put her trust in the Lord and accepted Elijah in her house.

In the gospel, Jesus calls our attention to the widow who offered the little she had, being left with nothing.

In both cases, the widows are extremely poor and, despite that, they offer everything they have. Putting their trust in the Lord, they do not care about tomorrow. The day of tomorrow belongs to God and he takes care of his servants.

In both of these widows, we find the beatitudes being practised in real life: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:3) In fact, the Lucan version applies even better: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” (Lk 6:20). Being utterly poor, they put their lives in the hands of God, accepting being touched by Him who cares for the orphan and the widow.

The responsorial psalm sang after the first reading expresses this confidence in the Lord:

It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever,

  who is just to those who are oppressed.

It is he who gives bread to the hungry,

  the Lord, who sets prisoners free.

It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,

  who raises up those who are bowed down.

It is the Lord who loves the just,

  the Lord, who protects the stranger.

The Lord upholds the widow and orphan

  but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign for ever,

  Zion’s God, from age to age. (Ps 146)

YOU ARE NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD

XXXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 12:28-34

Twice a day, in the morning and the evening prayers, the faithful Jew recites the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” (words taken from Dt 6:4-6). It is a prayer and a profession of faith with implications for how we live and situate ourselves in society and the world.

However, in this world of ours, society, in general, has lost its reference to God. We live as if He does not exist. If He did, He has died. Indeed, some people proclaim that God is dead. We have thrown Him out of our lives since He was an obstacle to our freedom. With all our hearts and minds, we want to be the masters of our lives and our world. However, despite all our efforts, that is no more than wishful thinking. At any moment, the raw power of nature shows itself, escaping any attempt at controlling it. A society without God is a society that has lost its way. Time and again, we go through the experience of Adam and Eve. In their audacity to become gods, they rejected God’s Law and established themselves as the rule by which good and evil can be measured. And society turned upside down: evil became good, and good became evil.

We must reassert God’s centrality in our lives and society. When we live by faith, God alone is the absolute, and everything else is relative. And our God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, sets us free, accepting us as his beloved children.

Guiding themselves by the Torah, the Jewish People found 613 commandments that must be followed. One may ask: how could they follow so many commandments? And which one is the first and the most important? During Jesus’ time, that was a big point of discussion. That’s why a scribe asked Jesus: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus answered, reciting the Shema. The greatest commandment is: “… you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” We may say that this is the only commandment since the second one is the natural sequence of the first: “You must love your neighbour as yourself.” We cannot love God without loving our neighbour.

Jesus makes it clear that we do not need so many commandments. Two are enough, and these two can be reduced to a single word: love. God is love, and those who live their lives in God live them in love. If we do that, then we are on the way to the Kingdom of God.

LORD, HAVE MERCY ON ME

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 10:46-52

Last week, we were told about James and John, the two disciples who approached Jesus with a request. Immediately after that episode, Marc tells the story of a blind man called Bartimaeus. The two stories appear to be completely different. However, they relate to each other in more than one aspect. James and John are followers of Jesus and belong to the inner group of his closest disciples. Despite that, they did not understand the real purpose of Jesus’ mission. They dreamed of power and wealth and wanted Jesus to fulfil that dream for them. 

The blind man spends his time “at the side of the road”, begging. It is as if he is at the side of life, dependent on those who pass by. His blindness is the sign of a hopeless life lived in darkness. He is an outcast on the side of the road. Being rejected, he cannot participate in community life and contribute to the history of his people. He survived due to the kindness of those who pitied him. Aware of his condition, he had a deep desire for liberation and, living in darkness, he longed for the light. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing on that same road, he was sure that his time had come, and he cried out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” That is the cry of all those who need salvation. At the beginning of every mass, we cry out: Lord, have mercy.

In both episodes - the disciples and the blind man - Jesus asked the same question: What do you want me to do for you? James and John, the disciples, asked for positions of power, while Bartimaeus asked for healing and salvation. To different requests, Jesus gave different answers. To the disciples, he said: You do not know what you are asking. On the other side, to the blind man, Jesus said: Go; your faith has saved you. Then, healed, he became a disciple, following Jesus on the way.

Bartimaeus represents each one of us. Oppressed by sin, we must cry out: Lord, have mercy. And Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, will illumine us, scattering the darkness of our soul. 

With the blind man, let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ASKING

XXIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 10:35-45

Before the beginning of his ministry, Jesus went into the desert for a time of reflection and prayer. There, he was confronted with the fundamental choices he had to make to carry out his mission. What would be the best path to bring salvation and establish the Kingdom of God? In their gospels, Matthew and Luke present the three big proposals for Jesus to be the Messiah as the people of Israel expected to have. According to the devil’s proposals, the way to salvation passes through self-centredness, putting God at our service and becoming the all-powerful master of all wealth and all kingdoms of the earth. Jesus refused to go that way and chose the opposite. He came to serve, not to be served, putting his life in the service of God and humanity. He is the servant of the Lord, ready to suffer and shed his blood for our redemption. 

The disciples could not understand and were not ready to accept that such was the true path to salvation. How could suffering be the path to joy and happiness? How could death be the way to life? How could poverty lead to the well-being of all of us? How could being at the service of others lead to a new society? Was not absolute power the only way to impose peace and justice? There must be a mistake. The Grand Inquisitor (of Dostoyevsky in The Brothers Karamazov) thinks that Jesus chose the wrong path: “…then it is impossible to utter anything more truthful than what is contained in his three offers, which Thou didst reject, and which are usually called "temptations." 

Throughout history, time and again, humankind has ignored Jesus’ way to follow Satan’s proposals. The two brothers, James and John, approached Jesus to ask for a high position in his kingdom. And they were not alone in desiring prestige, glory, power and wealth; the other disciples were waiting for the same. We may say that, in this episode, we find the first signs of a power struggle among Jesus’ disciples. To the brothers’ request, Jesus answered immediately: “‘You do not know what you are asking”. Then, to all of them, Jesus gave the example of the earthly rulers who oppress their subjects. The thirst for power and wealth is not the way to the Kingdom of God and will not bring freedom, justice and peace. On the contrary, it is a source of rivalries, conflicts and wars. That’s why Jesus gives a clear command: “This is not to happen among you”. He then proposes himself as a role model: “For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE

XXVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Hebrews 4:12-13

Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, after acknowledging our sinfulness, we sit to hear the word of God. During this part of the mass, our attention is concentrated on the lectern (ambo), where the word of God is proclaimed. Special honour is given to the proclamation of the Gospel in the liturgy of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. We recognise publicly that the Word is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. At the beginning of his gospel, John makes it clear that Jesus is the Word incarnate. Through Him, the world was created. He is the life and the light of men (Jn 1:4). In the book of Genesis, we learn that God created everything through his word. And the Holy Scriptures, as they present to us the history of salvation, give witness to the continuous presence and action of the Word. The prophets are the great spokesmen for this Word, challenging, denouncing, calling to repentance and conversion. At the same time, this word reveals God’s plan of salvation while showing the way to faithfulness and fulfilment. Through the word, God commits Himself to carry out the Promise of sending the Messiah to redeem humanity, leading it to the fullness of peace and life.

In the letter to the Hebrews, we are given a short passage on the role of the Word of God. When the word is proclaimed, it becomes “alive and active”, and God speaks to us. It confronts and challenges us, bringing to the open our “secret emotions and thoughts”. It may be painful since “it cuts like any double-edged sword but more finely”. However, that pain is the pre-announcement of healing, bringing wholeness to our lives. We are reminded that “we must give account of ourselves” before God. The word of God is never proclaimed in vain, and we cannot behave as if we did not hear it. We will be answerable before God. Let us open our hearts and be docile to the work of the Spirit so that we listen and act accordingly to the Word of God.

DO NOT DIVIDE WHAT GOD UNITED

XXVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 10:2-16

Time and again, the Pharisees approached Jesus to try his knowledge and his accordance with the law. So they came to Jesus and asked about marriage. At that time, there were two schools of thought: The followers of Beit Shammai held a strict approach, allowing divorce only for serious reasons, while the followers of Beit Hillel were much more lenient, accepting divorce even for trivial issues. The Pharisees wanted to know Jesus’ opinion: Did the Law allow or forbid divorce?

As he did many times, Jesus answered by asking: “What did Moses command you?” That is, what does the Law say? The Law allows the man to send away his wife, giving her a certificate of divorce (Dt 24:1-4).  

After this answer, Jesus had the opportunity to confront the Pharisees with God’s plan for marriage. Indeed, the Law allows divorce, but in doing that, the Law is in clear discordance with God’s will for marriage. The commandment concerning divorce was given “because of your hardness of heart”. In a given society, laws are made to regulate prevailing situations, and in doing so, those laws may be against the ideal that God proposes for us. Jesus makes it clear that divorce is always a sign of our sinfulness. From the beginning, God presents us with his plan for marriage. He took the bride to the groom, who accepted her as a partner with whom he could walk along the paths of life. In her, he could see a reflection of himself - “bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh!” as both of them are made in the image of God. Bring them together, God intended them to be one. And Jesus gives the conclusion: “So then, what God has united, man must not divide.”

Let us pray for all married couples. May their love become stronger and give them the strength to overcome the difficulties they find in their journey together. May the Lord guide and protect them. 

QUEM NÃO É CONTRA NÓS É POR NÓS

XXVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

We must recognise good wherever we find it and never feel threatened by those who do good, even if they do not belong to our religious group. God has his own ways and is not limited by the fences we build to protect us. We fear what is outside our fence because we cannot control it. That’s why Joshua (in the first reading) wanted to stop the two elders who had remained behind and were not in the group with Moses. Was it not a sign of disunity on their part? They did not show commitment and communion. Thus, they did not deserve to receive the Spirit. Moses saw it differently, realising that those two were a sign and promise of God’s Spirit coming over all members of the people of God.

In the gospel, John was jealous of the man who performed miracles in Jesus’ name, even though he did not belong to the group of disciples. How could an outsider be endowed with such a divine power? There is always the danger of dividing people into two groups: the insiders are good and holy, deserving to receive the fullness of the Spirit, while the outsiders are evil and sinners, being excluded from God’s care and love. Jesus did not allow such a way of thinking. We cannot exclude others since we are not the owners of God’s grace and don’t control it. And Jesus concluded by saying: “Anyone who is not against us is for us.” It is interesting to notice that the outsider who performed miracles did it in the name of Jesus. He is the Saviour and the only way to the Father. It is through him that we are set free. There are countless numbers of people who do not know Jesus well but are guided by his Spirit to work for the goodness of others. For them, we must rejoice and give thanks to God.

MAKE YOURSELVES SERVANTS OF ALL

XXV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 9:30-37

In the second reading (James 3:16-4:3), taken from James, we are presented with two opposing models of behaviour: one guided by “the wisdom that comes down from above” and the other guided by the wisdom of this world. In between the two, we are compelled to make a choice.

Under the wisdom of this world, we allow “the desires fighting inside our own selves” to be in command of our lives. We are dominated by jealousy and ambition which brings about disharmony, violence, “wars and battles”; so we are “prepared to kill”.

The wisdom that comes from above has a different outcome: it “is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good.” When we guide ourselves by this wisdom, we become peacemakers. And the peacemakers shall be called children of God (Mt 5,9).

In the gospels, we can see jealousy and ambition at work in the apostles. Jesus was explaining to them that he would be arrested, tried, convicted and killed, but they couldn’t understand. Maybe they didn’t want to understand. Moved by ambition, they worried about their positions in the Kingdom of God. All of them wanted the first place to be the greatest. Aware of that, Jesus told them openly: “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.” Then, he brought a child into their midst to be a role model. They must humble themselves and be ready to welcome those who are small, pure and innocent, like children. The world will despise them and try to get rid of them but, in the end, they will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God.

Let us pray with the psalmist: 

For proud men have risen against me,

  ruthless men seek my life.

  They have no regard for God.

The Lord upholds my life.

But I have God for my help.

  The Lord upholds my life. (Psalm 54).

TRUE FAITH SHOWS ITSELF IN TRUE DISCIPLESHIP

XXIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 8:27-35

In the history of the Church, the Reformation, brought about by Luther, came as a break from the past, introducing new ideas and a new rule of belief. Moved by a deep desire to be assured of salvation, Luther proclaimed that we are saved by grace alone and by faith alone, having Scripture alone as the basis for our theological understanding and the rule of faith for our lives. Surely, Saint Paul affirms clearly what is easy to see: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ep 2:8-9). And to the Romans, he wrote: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him,

we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Ro 5:1-2) Paul makes it clear that we cannot be saved without believing: “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Ro 3:28) And we must ask: what does it mean to believe? Faith implies a relationship of love with Jesus Christ. We answer his call and accept his invitation, being ready to become his disciples and follow his footsteps. Surely, we have to say with Peter: “You are the Christ.” You are the Son of the living God. And this profession of faith has to lead us to take our cross and follow Jesus. Faith demands and implies a commitment to love Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the life.

It is always dangerous to do what Luther did, that is, to take a verse from the Bible and make it the basis of our understanding of salvation. The same Paul wrote to the Galatians: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6). And we cannot forget that from the three theological virtues “the greatest of these is love.” (1 Co 13:13).  In his merciful love, God has adopted us as his children, thus calling us to be perfect as He is perfect (Mt 5:48).

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ep 5:1-2)

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Ro 13:14)

“… for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ”. (Gal 3:26-27)

You must “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ep 4:22-24)

Faith implies much more than to say I believe. It demands a holistic approach leading to discipleship and a new self. In Christ, we become a new creation (2 Co 5:17).

In the second reading, James states what is obvious: Faith alone without the behaviour of a true disciple is dead and cannot save us. In the gospel, Peter affirms his faith openly and in front of others. Yet, immediately after recognising his proclamation of faith, Jesus scolded him because he did not have the faithful attitude of a true disciple. May the Lord grant us His Spirit to make us true disciples who are ready to follow Jesus.

HE IS COMING TO SAVE YOU

XXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 7:31-37

Jesus was passing “through the Decapolis region”, east of the Lake of Galilee and the river Jordan. He was in a pagan land, where Greek culture was prevalent. The man brought to Jesus, who could neither hear nor speak, symbolises that pagan region needing someone to open their ears to the Good News and their mouth to proclaim their faith. That man also represents the situation of human beings, handicapped by all kinds of weaknesses and shortcomings. The society we live in is full of deaf and dumb, unable to hear and understand the word of God. We need someone to touch us and say: “Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.” We need to be saved. And Jesus came to save us, fulfilling the promise foretold by Isaiah:

“Courage! Do not be afraid.

Look, your God is coming,

vengeance is coming,

the retribution of God;

he is coming to save you.” (Is 35:4)

The healing done by Jesus is a sign of God’s presence in our midst fulfilling his promise and carrying out our salvation. Jesus’ action goes beyond the borders of Israel as he reaches out to foreign lands and pagan nations. The people’s reaction was of surprise and recognition: “He has done all things well!”

We live in difficult times. The limitless optimism we had disappeared and we live in a world that has lost direction. The words of Isaiah are addressed to us: “Courage! Do not be afraid.” Jesus, the Son of the living God, is with us to bring salvation. In Him, we find hope and this hope gives a new purpose for our lives. The Christians are called to live in hope and to become a source of hope in this hopeless world. We are sure that:

“the scorched earth becomes a lake,

the parched land springs of water.” (Is 35:6)

PURE, UNSPOILT RELIGION

 XXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus confronts the Pharisees who reproached Him for not keeping to the customs and traditions. Like the Pharisees, we honour our traditions more than God’s words and commandments. And Jesus put the finger on the wound, saying clearly: “You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.” We have created traditions, philosophies and ideologies to serve our interests and make us the masters of the world, a world without God. We are not different from the Pharisees. We become self-centred, twisting even religion to serve our interests. Following our human traditions, we see ourselves as faithful and righteous, while, in reality, we refuse to listen to God’s Word and obey his commandments. External obedience is possible and quite common, without a true openness to recognise God’s will and be guided by his Spirit. Human traditions can be props that facilitate obedience to God’s commandments, but they can never take their place. 

The Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of not following the rules of purification, keeping them in a state of impurity and putting those who come in touch with them in danger of contamination. Jesus makes it clear that external things do not make us unclean.

“For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.”

In the first reading, taken from the book of Deuteronomy, Moses advises the people to keep the commandments. We have no authority to change or modify them. Faithfulness to the commandments is the only way to wisdom and happiness.

In the second reading, St. James speaks of true, pure and spoilt religion, which implies always a relation with God. And the truthfulness of that relation is asserted by our relation to the others, especially to the poor, the needy and the suffering.

“Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father, is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.” (James 1:27).

The responsorial psalm makes this very explicit. For us to approach the Lord and dwell in his house, we must act with justice and speak the truth, showing respect to our brothers, and being ready to accept and love them. We may pray and meditate on the words of the Psalm 15:

Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?

He who walks without fault;

he who acts with justice

and speaks the truth from his heart;

he who does not slander with his tongue.

He who does no wrong to his brother,

who casts no slur on his neighbour,

who holds the godless in disdain,

but honours those who fear the Lord.

He who keeps his pledge, come what may;

who takes no interest on a loan

and accepts no bribes against the innocent.

Such a man will stand firm for ever.

YOU HAVE THE MESSAGE OF ETERNAL LIFE

 XXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - John 6:60-69

In this Sunday’s liturgy, the first reading is taken from Joshua 24:1-2,15-18. At the end of his life, Joshua, the great leader after Moses, called upon the leaders to come together and make a clear and public decision. They must choose the way forward: are they going to accept and serve the Lord or do they prefer to worship the gods of the nations among whom they are living? Joshua doesn’t want to impose on people a fundamental decision that must be taken by themselves. He puts forward the example of his own family who have accepted his proposal: “As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord.”

The leaders of the people were quick to answer: “We have no intention of deserting the Lord and serving other gods! (…) We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

We know that time and again, the people would go back on that public and solemn declaration of intentions. They would allow themselves to be seduced by the customs, traditions and culture of the nations nearby. It is as if they cancelled their history, thus banning God from their lives, not only individually but also at the national level. That’s why, at different times in their history, the people will be called to renew their commitment to serve the true God. It seems that people were continuously playing a game of seek and hide. And in these times of ours, we are no better than they were. We refuse to make a public commitment to God. We have rejected Him and built our society without Him. That’s why we are solemnly called to renew our attitude of service, proclaiming that God is our Lord and that we are ready to serve and worship him.

This Sunday’s gospel tells us that people rejected Jesus’ words on the bread of life and many disciples stopped following him. Yet, Jesus did not adapt his speech to suit his audience. He was never a populist who looked for applause. Before Jesus, we have to decide what to do with our lives: are we ready to accept and follow him or do we turn our backs on him? Jesus gives us the freedom to choose what to do with our lives. He asked the disciples what he asks all of us: “What about you, do you want to go away too?” Peter made the same choice that was done by Joshua: “Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Peter’s answer is a profession of faith which must be the profession of faith of the Church. Jesus is the Holy One and in Him alone, we can find eternal life.

THIS IS MY BODY GIVEN FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD

XX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - John 6:51-58

We have been reading chapter six of the gospel of John, the longest chapter in the gospels. It deals mainly with the theme of the bread of life. In the narrative of the Last Supper, John substitutes the Eucharist institution by the washing of the feet. For John, Jesus is the Servant of the Lord who gives his life for the world's redemption. As a servant, Jesus is a role model for his disciples, who are called to service and to give their lives for the sake of salvation. However, John dedicated nearly a whole chapter to the Eucharist, the bread of life.

The Eucharist, being at the centre of the Church’s life, has a richness of meaning that must be expressed in a variety of forms. Obeying Jesus’ command, we celebrate the Eucharist in memory of his Last Supper and of his passion and death. In the Eucharist, we celebrate his resurrection, as we wait for his coming. The Eucharist is the memorial of Jesus Christ, his words, his actions and Himself. The Word Incarnate becomes present in our midst for the salvation of the world. In the Eucharist, Jesus is for us the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In the Eucharist, Jesus is the priest who offers himself in sacrifice, shedding the blood which is the seal of the new covenant. This sacrifice is the same and only sacrifice offered once and for all on the cross for the remission of sins. At the same time, it is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to almighty God, the Father of mercies. In the Eucharist, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, that is his victory over death through which he defeated the power of evil and the prince of this world. In the Eucharist, we are invited to the banquet of the Lord. We sit at his table and receive from him the bread of life. As the bread of life, we receive his body, flesh and blood, through which he establishes a deep communion with us: 

“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood

lives in me

and I live in him.

As I, who am sent by the living Father,

myself draw life from the Father,

so whoever eats me will draw life from me.”