Reflection for Sunday June 11, Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ: John 6:51-58

Gospel: 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.

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Reflection:   

The story is told about a drug addict who voluntarily submitted himself to a rehabilitation center. While in the center he was required to be present at Holy Mass everyday. Every Holy Mass this man would always partake of the Body of Christ and he would silently ask Jesus to heal and transform him. 

After six months of stay in the rehabilitation center the man was already free from addiction. When he was asked to whom he would attribute his successful healing and rehabilitation. He humbly said, to Jesus the living Bread of Life which I regularly received everyday for six months. 

Unlike regular bread that fills us and after a few hours make us hungry again. The living Bread of Life which we partake during Holy Communion fills and heals our emotional and spiritual hunger. And this healing is continuous for as long as we continue to reverently partake of the Body of Christ. 

Perhaps many will not believe that regular partaking of the Body of Christ would fill and heal our emotional and spiritual hunger. But if we try it and be humble and docile to the will of Jesus, we would also feel His transforming power working within us. 

Nevertheless at the end of the day our healing and transformation are still dependent on how docile and humble we are before God. The Lord in His infinite wisdom has given us the freedom to allow or not to allow the living Bread of Life to heal us. This is the reason why many of us who partake of the Body of Christ, are not healed or transformed, because we are not docile and humble before Jesus. 

If only we would learn to always be docile and humble. If only we would allow the will of God to direct our lives. Transformation and healing would also happen to us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas