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:
A drug addict
was submitted by his relatives 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 humbly 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 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 makes us hungry again. The living Bread of
Life which we partake during Holy Communion does not only fill our physical
hunger. It also fills and heals our emotional and spiritual hunger.
Perhaps many will
not believe that regular partaking of the Body of Christ would heal and fill us.
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 also 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. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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