20TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH
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(John 6:51-58)
In the Gospel of today, we saw
Jesus teaching about the Holy Eucharist. He did not only teach His disciples
but the crowds of the Jews.
He begins with "I am."
He says: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone
eats of this bread, he will live forever..." This should have initiated a
flashback to Divinity. This is meant to make them reflect on the wondrous
doings of God in the wilderness and how He fed them with bread from heaven. But
because the Jews were in the flesh, they were unable to understand the
teachings.
Jesus continued: "Unless you
eat the Flesh of the Son of man and drink his Blood, you have no life in
you" He went ahead to differentiate between the food that He is and that
which their fathers ate and died. Jesus invites us all to himself for the
following Eucharistic reasons.
COME AND EAT
Happy are those called to the
supper of the lamb. Do you still receive the Holy Communion? Do you still do
that in the state of grace? Do you feel the hand of Jesus waking you up as he
woke Elijah to come and eat to be strengthened for the journey ahead?
COME AND DRINK
Life is in the blood. Giving us
His blood, opening His side for us like the Pelican is suggestive of the fact
that Jesus does not want us to die of thirst of eternal life. When one lacks
blood, he dies. Let us go to eat and drink.
COME AND SHARE
As we share in the life of God,
we are encouraged to be sharers of love. The Eucharist is a unifying force. Let
us see each other as one with whom we have something to share.
COME AND BE FORGIVEN
The Eucharist draws us to pray
for the forgiveness of our sins and those of the whole world. It helps us to
prepare ourselves and remain in the state of Grace. It removes venial sins from
our hearts and gives us grace to avoid mortal sins. Let us not take the grace
of God for granted.
COME AND ADORE
"Venite adoremus" is an important invitation we receive. The
Real Presence of Jesus Christ in all the tabernacles of the world, indicated by
the light that burns endlessly, there calls for profound adoration.
How serious is your devotion to
the celebration of the Holy Mass?
How many times have you visited
Jesus in the Holy Eucharist on your own?
Do you still genuflect deeply
when you enter the Church with the Eucharistic Lord in the tabernacle?
Do you still maintain the great
silence accorded to the Blessed Sacrament?
COME AND BE TRANSFORMED
The Eucharist comes into Being by
Transubstantiation. Transubstantiation implies transformation. In receiving the
Eucharist, we are transformed into what we consume. Are you open to the
benediction and transformation that flows from the Body and Blood of Christ?
COME AND LIVE FOREVER
Do not starve to death. Do not
perish eternally in hell. Without Jesus, you're lifeless. Without Jesus, there
will be no life in you. Obtain the grace of enjoying eternal bliss from here.
Jesus insists that He lives for
us, and since he lives, we too shall live.
We pray at this celebration that
the Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus epitomized in the
Eucharist may be our strength, that our joy, our refuge, and our salvation.
We pray that we may not be
distracted by the poisonous food of the world but heed the Divine word and ever
enjoy here and hereafter at the Holy altar set before us through Christ our
Lord. Amen
Happy Sunday
(20th Sunday, Ordinary Time Year B).
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
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