As we continue through this Easter season the Church gives us daily Gospel readings from St. John. And this week we have been been reading from chapter 6. This is a powerful reminder in this Easter season of the Eucharist. Why now?
The Eucharist and the Resurrection are beautifully linked. As we walked with Jesus through the Lenten Gospels we arrived at Holy Thursday and the commemoration of that day when Jesus gave us the Eucharist and the Priesthood. And we also read of His Passion on Good Friday and the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
In the Sunday's since Easter we have had the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. Amazingly, they too have had a Eucharistic theme. We know that the apostles and disciples recognized Jesus after the journey to Emmaus in the breaking of the bread. In other post-Resurrection appearnces, they shared a meal.
And now the Church gives us John 6. These beautiful passages from John's Gospel recall Jesus own personal teaching on the Eucharist. Today we hear the following: "I am the bread of life." And he continues: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh".
In this third week of Easter we hear the bread of life discourse. Notice that Jesus uses no figurative or symbolic language. In fact, in the original language the implication is to take His flesh and chew and gnaw. And this is not to be done once only. Any one implies this will happen in every generation. The Resurrected Jesus is the Eucharistic Jesus and the Eucharistic Jesus is the Crucified Jesus.
What a joyous opportunity to read, reflect and pray with John Chapter 6 in this Easter season!
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