Franciscan Friar Fr. Paul Gallagher reflects on the Gospel readings for the Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Have you ever had periods when you did not get enough to eat?
The content is edited by Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Anne Marie Lom and Joe Thiel. The excerpts from the Sunday readings are prepared by Joe Thiel. To read or download the complete pdf with excerpts for your prayer, please click here Franciscan Gospel Reflection August 18 2024. Excerpts are from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the crowds: I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
Background:
Four weeks ago, the Gospel text was the feeding of the 5,000, John 6:1-13. That experience was the starting point of Jesus’ instruction which developed the bread of life theme. Last week’s text ended with Jesus telling the crowd that he himself is the living bread that comes down from heaven. That verse is repeated as the first verse of today’s gospel. Next week the gospel text will be the last verses of this 6th Chapter of John’s gospel, when some of the disciples will tell Jesus to his face that this teaching is just too hard to accept, and they will no longer count themselves among his disciples. The attention John has taken to unfold Jesus’ teaching on the bread of life, and the fact that John himself tells us that some departed because they could not accept this teaching, should indicate how important and difficult this was for the early disciples. The text invited serious reflection for the early disciples and for us.
In the opening verse here, Jesus identifies himself as the bread from heaven. In the next verse he states that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood has life eternal. Jesus states four times that his flesh and blood are to be consumed, and that they give eternal life. Flesh and blood on a literal level represent the human person. When applied to the person of Jesus, it emphasizes the incarnation, that Jesus was a real person. He is also flesh and blood that is sacrificed on the cross. Lastly, as all sacrifices are offered to God and then shared in a meal where those who partake in the meal are sharing that meal with God, Jesus as the body and blood of the sacrifice invites those who participate to share in the heavenly banquet.
While Jesus is inviting the disciples to a deeper understanding, the disciples would be struggling with their cultural and religious heritage that make this understanding difficult. The fact that the Jews quarreled among themselves at this statement should not be a surprise. The word that Jesus used that is translated “eats” here would carry a sense of gnawing, as a dog with a bone. Drinking blood was prohibited within the Jewish community and perhaps among the early Christians. It is not surprising that some of the Jews who were hearing this questioned his teaching. A question in John’s gospel usually presents the opportunity for Jesus to further explain his teaching.
For John’s community, Jesus is their food and drink. John’s gospel is the last of the four gospels to be written, and it benefits from Christians reflecting on the significance of the Jewish traditions and Jesus’ life and teaching. The experience of God feeding the Jews in the desert is a springboard to help them understand God’s new revelation in Jesus. It is not enough to just believe in Jesus, or his teaching. They were seeking to understand that they too participate in a relationship with God who desires to nourish them on their journey.
Reflection Questions:
- What images come to mind when you think of flesh?
- What images come to mind when you think of blood?
- Have you ever had periods when you did not get enough to eat?
- Have there been times in your life when you felt a hunger or a thirst that was not about food or drink?
- What are the things that nourish your soul, and your spirit?
- How might your experience of this gospel text be different from those who live in places where the priest is only present to say Mass three or four times a year?
- Do you experience yourself as “being what you eat?” What is the difference for you believing Christ is in the Eucharist and being nourished by Christ’s presence?
- What do you think Jesus is trying to reveal to you about God’s relationship to you? How would you like to respond?
