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"The Eucharist as WISDOM"
Peace! Today's Gospel
(Jn. 6: 41-51) forms part of Jesus' discourse on the Eucharist (Jn
6:24-68). This is a continuation of Sunday's Gospel (Jn 6: 24-35) on the
" Bread of Life".
"Eucharist" is usually associated with the Body and Blood of Jesus that
one receives during the Communion rite, or with the Mass itself.
This and next Sunday's Gospel gives us a wider view of what the
"Eucharist" means, treating it in two aspects: for next Sunday, on the
theme of "Eucharist as Sacrament", and in today's Gospel, on the theme
of "Eucharist as Wisdom".
Implications of the
Eucharist as Wisdom.
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Firstly,
man must eat the Word - God's Wisdom - because it is the Bread of Life,
and the Eucharist is that Wisdom. Jesus as the Bread of Life, whom
the Father has sent, is a sign that God cares for his people; He
provides support for them. It is for this reason that Jesus performed
the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. Unfortunately, the Jews
who had their fill took it as simply meant to satisfy their hunger.
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Thus, Jesus
said to them, "You should not be looking for perishable food but for
food that remains unto life eternal which the Son of Man will give you (Jn
6:26b-27b)". Beyond the miracle is the sign that they will
understand that "man does not live by bread alone" but by "every word
that comes from the mouth of the Lord (Deut 8:3b)".
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Secondly,
if Jesus is the bread of life, this means that He is God's Wisdom on
whom men must live so that they will have eternal life. That for Jesus,
the Eucharist - which he himself - is God's Wisdom, may be implied from
Jesus words, "Everyone who heard the Father and learned from Him has
eternal life; I am the bread of life (Jn 6: 43-47)". God teaches His
people through His Word, His Wisdom, who became man -Jesus.
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Thirdly,
just as the bread given by the angel was able to sustain Elijah in his
journey to Horeb (1K 19: 4-8), so the Eucharistic Word of God (His
Wisdom) if eaten, can sustain the Christian community, which is
a pilgrim community in its journey toward eternal life. As good food is
needed for bodily health, so for our spiritual life, we need good mental
and spiritual food and that is none other than God's Wisdom - the
Eucharist.
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In the
Eucharist, we are further assured that in this journey of life, God
Himself provides the food so that we may continue onwards. The food is
what the Son-of-God-made-flesh tells us. "I am the bread of life, he
who eats this bread will have life eternal... This bread is my
flesh...for the life of the world (Jn 6:51-58)".
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When Jesus
gives His life as bread for our life. He is with us on the journey -
through the Eucharist. We are then never alone for He is with us. In
life's journey, we shall then be companions to one another. Not only
with the bread we share, but with our life and love that we give to each
other.
"The
Lord gave them bread from heaven" |
