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Gospel Reading for August 11, 2024 – John 6: 41-51
ANOTHER CHRIST
The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 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.”
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It should be expected for the Jews to murmur when Jesus said “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” because it is not something that can easily be understood by them. They could not even accept that Jesus is Son of God because it was beyond their capacity to comprehend at that time. But, Christians at present are so blessed to be able to read the Bible from the first book of the Old Testament to the last book of the New Testament. Our Biblical scholars have extensively made in-depth studies on the Scriptures, finding cross-references between Old and New Testament, even interpreting nuances so we may better understand what Jesus was saying. The Jews were ignorant, but Christians are not supposed to be ignorant about Christ.
Jesus is the food we need to have life. It is no wonder that at the Last Supper with his 12 disciples, “Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26: 26-28). Those who refuse to accept that Jesus is present in the sacred host, probably are not able to see beyond the ordinary. Why would Jesus refer to the bread as his body, and to the wine as his blood? If he just wished to share bread and wine with them, which he often did with them, he need not refer to them as his body and blood. It was his last supper with them. It was time to assure them that even after he had gone, he will continue to be present to his disciples and to all of us Christians. This is why at the Eucharistic Celebration where the priest consecrates the bread and wine, the words of consecration used are the words Jesus himself said at the Last Supper. Whenever we receive the consecrated host in the Eucharistic Celebration, where we gather as his One Body, we are nourished so we may be ANOTHER CHRIST to others as we travel on the journey towards eternal life!
Lord Jesus, you are truly the Bread of Life!
