First Reading- Proverbs 9:1-6;
Second Reading – Ephesians 5:15-20;
Gospel – John 6:51-58
Today’s readings stress the fact that the Holy Eucharist, the perfect fulfilment of the symbol of the manna of the Old Testament, is the Food that gives us life forever. In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus declared that the Bread he gives is his Flesh. This Sunday, Jesus asserts that to eat this Bread is to have eternal life.
The first and second readings encourage us to turn aside from those things that do not nourish and sustain us and towards the Divine Source: “be filled with the Spirit.” In today’s first reading, taken from the Book of Proverbs, Lady Wisdom, representing God, offers wisdom and understanding in the form of a rich banquet to all those who are willing to heed her invitation. The early Christians often identified Jesus as the Wisdom of God. They regarded the Eucharist as Wisdom’s banquet, where they shared in the Divine Wisdom now present in Jesus.
In the second reading, Paul advises the Gentile Christians to show their gratitude to God for calling them, along with the Jews, to Christianity, and for giving them a share in Christ’s life. They will be able to receive this life by avoiding their former foolish ways, like getting drunk on wine. Instead, they are to be Spirit-filled with their talk edifying, always trying to discern and do the will of God.
The theme of the Gospel of today is Jesus as the Bread of Life. Throughout the bread of life discourse, the intensity has gradually increased as the focus has moved from Jesus feeding the people with bread and fish to Jesus feeding the people with himself. The climax comes to this present section where Jesus will clearly indicate that the bread of life in fact is his own flesh. The Lord had already promised the people that whoever eats of this bread will live forever. He is their nourishment and strength. But now a startling new dimension is added that the bread that he will give is his own flesh for the life of the world, meaning that he is ready to give himself to them. Hence the immediate reaction of the people was dismay and alarm and to say how could this man Jesus could give them his flesh to eat. They were not able to understand the very meaning of it. Now Jesus intends to go even further and clarify. He told them that unless they eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, they will not have life in them.
The Gospel of today places strong emphasis on Jesus the Living Bread. This section begins with the claim of Jesus that he is the living bread come down from heaven. This indicates the divine nature of Jesus. This bread in fact is his person which he will give for the life of the world.
Today when Jesus speaks of the eating of his flesh, he intends to tell us of the Eucharist. To eat the flesh of Jesus and to drink his blood is to become totally identified with his very person, with his deepest thoughts, with his vision of life, with his values, and with his mission to build the Kingdom of God.
We are now reminded of the miracle of the multiplication of bread where the five thousand and more people were fed along with the fish the boy had, tells us of the Last Supper and thus of the Eucharist. The sharing of one bread and one cup brings in the unity, the contract between Jesus and humankind. It was at the Last Supper that Jesus linked his flesh with the bread he broke and shared it with his disciples and linked his blood with the cup that was passed around, the blood that was the pledge of an unbreakable bond between Jesus and his people. In eating the Bread and drinking from the Cup we are proclaiming our deepest desire to be totally identified with Jesus, with his Way, with his Mission to building the Kingdom.
Jesus identified himself as the Bread of Life. He told those present that unless they eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, they would have no life in them. They will have eternal life, and he would raise them up on the last day. The people during the time of Jesus believed that blood contained life and by drinking it they could enhance their life. They were brought up with the animal sacrifices and the blood of the animal became a special offering. It brought them into communion with the divine. Let us look into ourselves and see whether we are in full communion with God through the Eucharist. It is essential for us to listen to Jesus and put his teaching into practice to have the full life in him.
As we offer the Mass and receive the Eucharist let us develop a respect and awe for the presence of our Lord. This participation will enable us to participate in the community of the church. As in the first reading Wisdom has set a table and has invited us to partake in the meal. In the Gospel Jesus also sets a table for the meal. His menu consists of his own body and blood, and we are called upon to partake in it worthily. Jesus wants everyone to be part of his life and mission and hence of the messianic banquet.