Whoever Eats This Bread Will Live Forever
April 19, 2013
Friday of the
Third Week of Easter
By Melanie Rigney
Saul
got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so
they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was
unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. (Acts 9:8-9)
Go out to all the world and
tell the Good News. (Mark 16:15)
“Just as the living Father sent me and I
have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life
because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your
ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
(John 6:57-58)
Piety
Lord, may my hunger for you
never be sated. May fear never keep me from my place at your table.
Study
We’ve heard a lot about food in the Friday Easter readings
so far. We’ve read about the time the risen Christ invited the disciples to
breakfast after he had filled their nets with fish. We’ve read about the
miracle of the loaves and fishes. And in today’s Gospel, we are reminded of the
greatest meal and the greatest miracle of all: the gift of Christ himself to
us, who by his resurrection and the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist continues
to feed us all.
Consider today’s first reading. Small wonder that Paul after
his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus could not eat or drink for
three days. His life had been changed forever; he needed to empty himself of
his old ways and his old thoughts. Food was probably the last thing on his
mind.
Sometimes, it’s the same way for us. We forget about the
great gift we have been given. Or we feel that by our words, thoughts, and
actions, we have moved so far away from Christ that despite our ravenous hunger,
there’s no way we’ll ever be deserving of feeding on him again. We think too
much, we overanalyze ourselves and God, and we as Paul are unable to see.
Better, then, to go to the Lord as the little children he so
desires us to be, confess our sins, and retake our place at the greatest
banquet table of all, the Holy Eucharist.
Action
The 126th Arlington Men’s Cursillo Weekend began
last night. Pray that the candidates and men are truly fed by our Lord all
weekend long… and bring along some heavy hors d’oeuvres to feed our community
at the Closing
at St. Joseph’s Church in Alexandria on Sunday
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