Daily Retreat 04/26/07
2007 Apr 26 Thu: Easter Weekday
Acts 8: 26-40/ Ps 65(66): 8-9. 16-17. 20/ Jn 6: 44-51
From today's readings: "Do you understand what you are reading?... Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or His kindness!... I am the living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world!"
Christ's Flesh for the Life of the World
The Lord's Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 has a formidably steep progression of divine Eucharistic teaching. Starting with just the crowd's renewed physical appetite, Jesus adeptly leads them to ponder how to start working for the Food that remains unto life eternal. When the crowd first reminisces about the magnificent miracle of manna in the desert, Jesus suggests that He is leading up to something even greater than that, even linking belief in Him with eternal life, and resurrection on the last day.
But the crowd, which had initially been eagerly devouring all His words, suddenly started to choke on them, and have trouble stomaching how such a full meal deal could be cooked up by just Jesus. And so they began gnawing and grumbling at His words. But rather than apologetically deboning His earlier servings, Jesus actually piles on an even meatier helping, favorably contrasting His "Bread of Life" recipe with the manna of old which, however miraculous and nutritive, nonetheless simply couldn't starve off death. In contrast, Jesus is prepared to fill the plate with so much more, saying "I AM the living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world!"
Acts 8: 26-40/ Ps 65(66): 8-9. 16-17. 20/ Jn 6: 44-51
From today's readings: "Do you understand what you are reading?... Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or His kindness!... I am the living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world!"
Christ's Flesh for the Life of the World
The Lord's Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 has a formidably steep progression of divine Eucharistic teaching. Starting with just the crowd's renewed physical appetite, Jesus adeptly leads them to ponder how to start working for the Food that remains unto life eternal. When the crowd first reminisces about the magnificent miracle of manna in the desert, Jesus suggests that He is leading up to something even greater than that, even linking belief in Him with eternal life, and resurrection on the last day.
But the crowd, which had initially been eagerly devouring all His words, suddenly started to choke on them, and have trouble stomaching how such a full meal deal could be cooked up by just Jesus. And so they began gnawing and grumbling at His words. But rather than apologetically deboning His earlier servings, Jesus actually piles on an even meatier helping, favorably contrasting His "Bread of Life" recipe with the manna of old which, however miraculous and nutritive, nonetheless simply couldn't starve off death. In contrast, Jesus is prepared to fill the plate with so much more, saying "I AM the living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world!"
posted by FrPitstick | 4/24/2007
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