The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to call on the Spirit as we contemplate the impact of conversion and the Bread of Life on our journey.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is one account of the Conversion of Saul.
* [9:1–19] This is the first of three accounts of Paul’s conversion (with Acts 22:3–16 and Acts 26:2–18) with some differences of detail owing to Luke’s use of different sources. Paul’s experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1 Cor 15:8. The words of Jesus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” related by Luke with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting influence on the thought of Paul. Under the influence of this experience he gradually developed his understanding of justification by faith (see the letters to the Galatians and Romans) and of the identification of the Christian community with Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor 12:27). That Luke would narrate this conversion three times is testimony to the importance he attaches to it. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. At this point, the conversion of the hero of the Gentile mission is recounted. The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)
Psalm 117 is a Universal Call to Worship.
* [Psalm 117] This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy. The supremacy of Israel’s God has been demonstrated to them by the people’s secure existence, which is owed entirely to God’s gracious fidelity. (Psalms, PSALM 117, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus continues the “Bread of Life” discourse.
[6:35–59] Up to Jn 6:50 “bread of life” is a figure for God’s revelation in Jesus; in Jn 6:51–58, the eucharistic theme comes to the fore. There may thus be a break between Jn 6:50–51.
* [6:43] Murmuring: the word may reflect the Greek of Ex 16:2, 7–8.
* [6:54–58] Eats: the verb used in these verses is not the classical Greek verb used of human eating, but that of animal eating: “munch,” “gnaw.” This may be part of John’s emphasis on the reality of the flesh and blood of Jesus (cf. Jn 6:55), but the same verb eventually became the ordinary verb in Greek meaning “eat.” (John, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)
Mirielle Mason shares a few thoughts.
The first, is what Jesus promises if we partake in His body and blood. Salvation is no small gift, and yet, it is what we may have if we take Him into our bodies. Participating in communion gives us the spiritual nourishment we cannot receive elsewhere. Furthermore, not long after communion, the Mass is dismissed and we reenter the world at large. My personal favorite way the mass is ended, is by the following phrase, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” For the longest time, I misheard this as “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your light.” But, I love how both can be true. When we receive communion, we shine with God’s light. Then, we are charged with going out into the world and glorifying it with what we have gained. What have we gained? Eternal life! And what a bright future that is. What a great gift to spread through the light of our works in the world. (Mason, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Abiding in Christ”, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
" Jesus recommended to us His Body and Blood in bread and wine, elements that are reduced into one out of many constituents. What is meant by eating that food and taking that drink is this: to remain in Christ and have Him remaining in us." (excerpt from Sermon on John 26,112) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:52-59 comments that every time we celebrate Mass, we are brought before this eternal sacrifice of Jesus’ Body and Blood. We celebrate the new covenant he has entered into with us on the cross, and we embrace that covenant every time we eat and drink of him. Taking his Body and Blood into our own bodies, we unite ourselves with him in a deep and intimate bond.
It was probably hard for Jesus’ audience to grasp this mysterious gift he was offering them. We may find it a little challenging as well. But we can ask Jesus to help us accept this precious gift for what it is. We can give him thanks for becoming the sacrifice that brings us eternal life!
“Thank you, Lord, for offering us your own flesh as the Bread of Life!” (Meditation on John 6:52-59, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the three accounts of the conversion of Paul in Acts. Lightning, cataracts, and Straight Street may connect Paul’s experience to our time.The assertion of Jesus about consuming His body and especially blood would be abhorrent to Jewish tradition. Friar Jude reminds us of the realised and future eschatology in Jesus through the Eucharist.
Peter Edmonds SJ takes us through chapter 6 of John’s Gospel and explains how it functions as a homily, referring to and weaving together a rich assortment of Scriptural texts.
John 6:51-59 Fifth exchange with the crowd
The bread of life is now the Eucharist. We meet new words: flesh, blood, eat, drink, and a new definition of the bread: it is Jesus’s ‘flesh for the life of the world’. Sarx (flesh) emphasises the physical reality of this bread. This bread is for the world (3:16). Now we find hints of the cost of this gift: it is the death of Jesus as the Son of Man. It is ‘the blood of the covenant which is poured out for many’ (Mark 14:24; Matthew 26:28).
The response of the Jews is hostile: they ‘began to fight among themselves’. A fourth ‘Very truly…’ saying repeats previous teaching in the context of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of Man. A new word is used for eating (trogo), one that is extremely physical, implying chewing or munching. Blood, an obvious Eucharistic word, occurs for the first time. This eating and drinking is now a condition for possessing eternal life, for being raised on the last day, and for mutual abiding in Jesus.
Thus, to possess eternal life one must:
see and believe in the person of Jesus, the bread of life (6:40);
hear and believe the revelation that Jesus embodies as that bread (6:45,47);
eat and feed on bread of the Eucharist (6:51,54,58). (Edmonds, 2021)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Buddhist teacher angel Kyodo williams who offers instructions on the practice of “letting go” of our thoughts, desires, and judgments through mindfulness meditation.
We can see the thoughts that come up in our minds the same way a mirror “sees” things. A mirror just notices. It registers whatever passes in front of it without holding on to it in any way. It just lets go. It doesn’t think about it or have a long conversation about it. Since the mirror doesn’t cling to the object that it is reflecting, when the object goes, so does the reflection. It’s the same way with your mind. We don’t hold on to the random thoughts that arise over and over again in our minds and that can take us away from the full experience of now. We want to be aware only of our breath and nothing else. The moment that we become aware that a thought has taken form, we just relax and allow it to pass. We just notice the thoughts and we return to our breath. If nothing grabs onto the thoughts as they arise, they will keep on moving on, leaving no trace that they were ever there. Let your mind be like the mirror. Clear mirror, clear mind. [2] (Rohr, 2023)
We gratefully recognize that we are more than the reality we perceive with our senses as the Spirit guides us to openness to spiritual growth.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/9?1
Edmonds, P. (2021, August 5). The bread of life: John 6. Thinking Faith. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/bread-life-john-6
John, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?
Mason, M. (2023, April 28). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042823.html
Meditation on John 6:52-59. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/04/28/667780/
Psalms, PSALM 117. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/117?1
Rohr, R. (2023, April 28). Letting Go with Ease — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/letting-go-with-ease-2023-04-28/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). He Who Eats This Bread Will Live Forever. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=apr28
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