Reflection 3rd week of Easter

Every day this week the Church places before our eyes the Bread of Life discourse in John 6.  By doing this she reminds us that the Eucharist is fundamental to our faith in Jesus’ resurrection.

In offering Himself as our food He is not giving us a piece of his corpse, a Jesus tender, as it were.  No!  He is giving us His whole self, body, blood, soul and divinity.  Every time we receive we are receiving the total Jesus who lives no more to die.

By receiving Him in this way He gives us His life as He now is, seated at the right hand of the Father in eternal glory.  Simply by attending Mass we are already elevated into the ceaseless worship of the angels and saints in heaven itself, and we join our voices with theirs becoming one of the myriads upon myriads prostrated before His throne giving Him worship and honor and praise to the glory of God the Father.

When we worthily receive the consecrated host it is Jesus Himself that nourishes us with Himself, filling us, to the extent we permit it, with His glorified life.  He promises us that if we remain faithful we will see Him face to face, He will do away with all our weakness, heal all our wounds and wipe all our tears away with His overwhelming love.

On the Mount of Transfiguration Peter James and John were stunned into incoherence by the vision of Jesus revealed to their uncomprehending eyes.   We, God’s pilgrim people, are promised a far greater life to come than we now have.  Jesus, the new manna, feeds us on the journey home where will will live with Him forever.

Thus nourished we put into action Jesus’ words  to Peter in today’s gospel: “Follow me.”