Life of God

Today’s Gospel Text: The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." 59 This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper'na-um. John 6:52-59

Reflection: Yuck! Eating the flesh of any man? Yet there have been tribes who have been cannibals by nature and there have been some who have been even living on the dead.

How can men who are rational being ever do that; rationality with a conscience?

However yucky it may sound, in reality we sinful creatures tend to be cannibals, if not in the literal sense then at least in the allegorical sense we do.

We eat up people when we kill them with words or trouble them.

We kill people through our self-centered sinful ways, even though these ways may not affect our relationship with others directly.

Above all we kill people by allowing ourselves to be killed. How do we do this?

When we do not recognize the source of life or are unable to recognize him who alone is able to save us then we are walking the path of death and even drag those over whom we act as guardians and leaders and all those whom we relate with.

Apart from God each one of us is walking the path of damnation; the God revealed by Christ Jesus and through whose sacrifice we have life, even eternal life.

Jesus reconciles us to the God by the sacrifice of the cross and introduces us to God as our beloved Father.

The necessary sacrifice of Jesus was to save us from death as asserted by the following scriptures: 

• "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; (vs. 53)

•  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.(vs. 54)   

• He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. (vs. 56)  

• As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. (vs.57)

Prayer:  Lord, give us your life that we may never walk in darkness.

                                                                                     

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us