Children, Friends and Favourites
20th Sunday in Ordinary time: 19th August, 2018Pro 9: 1-6; Eph 5: 15-20; Jn 6: 51-58
You become what you eat, they say! In fact there are problems in the world today depending what and how persons and societies eat. There are some who suffer of obesity and there are some who suffer due to hunger and malnutrition. Eating is an existential need of persons, invariable of their social status, age or economic bearings. If we look at the Word today from the background of this fact, we have a deep message to reflect on: I am the bread that has come down from heaven, anyone who eats of this bread will live for ever.
While the ordinary bread that we eat becomes part of us, the Bread that comes from heaven does exactly the contrary - we become part of it! Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the Bread from heaven; the eternal life of God promised to all who trust in the Lord. When we eat of the bread that is Jesus the Son of God, we become part of Him, we become sharers in the eternal life, life without end. This is why what Jesus says is so literally justified: one who eats of me, shall live forever. It is not merely an analogical or a poetic statement.
The divine bread has the special capacity to transform us, into children of the Father, friends of the Son and favourites of the Spirit!
Children of the Father:
We receive the power to become children of God when we believe, accept and eat of the One who has come down from heaven! Yes the Eucharist makes us truly children of God: we eat of Christ and we become Christ...we are transformed into the image of God, that is Christ. As St. Paul says: he is the image of the invisible God, the image in which we were created! The challenge we have here is to check at regular intervals, how Godly we have grown, and how truly we live as children of God the Father and Mother.
The divine bread has the special capacity to transform us, into children of the Father, friends of the Son and favourites of the Spirit!
Children of the Father:
We receive the power to become children of God when we believe, accept and eat of the One who has come down from heaven! Yes the Eucharist makes us truly children of God: we eat of Christ and we become Christ...we are transformed into the image of God, that is Christ. As St. Paul says: he is the image of the invisible God, the image in which we were created! The challenge we have here is to check at regular intervals, how Godly we have grown, and how truly we live as children of God the Father and Mother.
Friends of the Son:
I don't call you servants but friends and there is no other love greater than laying down one's life for one's friends! This is what Jesus has made of us: his friends! When we eat of this bread, the Eucharist, we partake of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. By claiming the Spiritual endowment that Jesus has made in this wonderful sacrament, we become his friends. Becoming friends is not merely a privilege, it is a challenge too! A challenge to do what pleases our friend, to be ready to give of ourselves fully for his sake without counting the cost.
I don't call you servants but friends and there is no other love greater than laying down one's life for one's friends! This is what Jesus has made of us: his friends! When we eat of this bread, the Eucharist, we partake of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. By claiming the Spiritual endowment that Jesus has made in this wonderful sacrament, we become his friends. Becoming friends is not merely a privilege, it is a challenge too! A challenge to do what pleases our friend, to be ready to give of ourselves fully for his sake without counting the cost.
Favourites of the Spirit:
In eating the Bread, we are filled with the Spirit that enlivens our body, mind, heart and soul. Wisdom is the gift of the Spirit that enables us to understand the effects of being created in the Image of God, making us look beyond what is apparent. We become favourite dwelling place of the Spirit, with the coming of the flesh and blood of Christ into our hearts. This is the most evident transformation and even a measure of the other two transformations. The challenge here is to remain open to the promptings of the Spirit and dare to take decisions that are outlined by Paul as a recipe for Spirit-filled Christians. Dont we know we are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit!
As we approach the Eucharistic Table today, let us resolve to look deeper into our innermost Image, to analyse our friendships and prioritise our frienship with Christ and consciously and confidently grow to be true, fitting and favourite dwelling places of the life giving Spirit!
In eating the Bread, we are filled with the Spirit that enlivens our body, mind, heart and soul. Wisdom is the gift of the Spirit that enables us to understand the effects of being created in the Image of God, making us look beyond what is apparent. We become favourite dwelling place of the Spirit, with the coming of the flesh and blood of Christ into our hearts. This is the most evident transformation and even a measure of the other two transformations. The challenge here is to remain open to the promptings of the Spirit and dare to take decisions that are outlined by Paul as a recipe for Spirit-filled Christians. Dont we know we are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit!
As we approach the Eucharistic Table today, let us resolve to look deeper into our innermost Image, to analyse our friendships and prioritise our frienship with Christ and consciously and confidently grow to be true, fitting and favourite dwelling places of the life giving Spirit!
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