A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 6:52-59The 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 Bloodhas 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 Bloodremains in me and I in him.Just as the living Father sent meand 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.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
REFLECTION
One of the insidious effects of blindness, deafness or mental illness is that eyes, ears or minds don't work properly. Many times we are one of the last to know there might be a problem. It is our perception of life around us that is distorted.
When Jesus said, "For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink" the Jewish people had trouble with what Jesus said. It was neither simple nor easy for ordinary people or the apostles to understand, believe and accept what Jesus had just said. But Jesus did not give up. Through the graces from the Holy Spirit, priests on fire for God, repentance, absolution and a gracious and gentle Father who works to win our heart's love, we receive the great gift of His eucharistic presence.
May we give our hearts to God and experience the mystery of His divinity. Please pray for our priests who make the divine presence of Jesus possible in the Holy Mass. Please pray for our priests.
