Daily Readings - Sun Jun 18 2017
John
51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."52The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"53So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.54Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.56Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.57As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."59Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the profound mystery of the Eucharist, a sacrament that lies at the heart of our faith. In the Second Reading from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul reminds us that the bread we break and the cup we bless are not mere symbols but a true communion with the Body and Blood of Christ. This sacred meal unites us, though many, into one body, drawing us into the very life of Christ. In the Gospel, Jesus deepens this mystery, declaring Himself the living bread come down from heaven. He teaches that to have eternal life, we must eat His flesh and drink His blood, a teaching that puzzled His hearers but reveals the intimate union He desires with us.
The context of these readings is rooted in the early Christian community's understanding of the Eucharist as a source of unity and life. For the Corinthians, St. Paul emphasizes that the Eucharist is not just an individual act but a communal celebration that binds believers together. In John's Gospel, Jesus' discourse on the Bread of Life occurs after the miracle of the loaves, where He fed the multitude physically, now revealing that He is the true bread that satisfies the deepest hungers of the soul. Both readings highlight the Eucharist as a gift that transcends the physical, offering spiritual nourishment and eternal life.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, we are reminded that the Eucharist is not just a ritual but a call to live as the Body of Christ in the world. Receiving Communion should transform us, enabling us to see Christ in one another and to serve Him in the poorest and most vulnerable. The moral lesson is clear: the Eucharist is a gift of unity and life, calling us to live in communion with God and with each other. May we approach the altar with reverence and gratitude, allowing the power of the Eucharist to shape our hearts and our actions, that we may truly be the Body of Christ for the world.