John 6:44-51 The Bread From Heaven

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

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Jesus said to the crowds:  “It is written in the prophets:  ‘They shall all be taught by God.’  Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me…Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.  …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.”

The bread that I will give is my word.  I live on the Word that came down from heaven.  I live on it.  I feast on it.  I depend on it.  Christ’s words bring me peace, courage, determination and meaning.  I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for His every word.  His words are my legs that get me moving!  His words are my hands that get me working.  It’s true!  I wouldn’t know what to do if He hadn’t said it first.

The bread that I will give is my blood.  As a teenager, I knew very little about my faith.  One day, while I was raking leaves in the front of our property, a woman with her small child approached our front door.  They were Jehovah Witnesses.  I knew very little about them except for the fact that they did not believe in blood transfusions.  I went up to them and asked them what they wanted.  The mom did all the talking.  The child just nodded in agreement.  I have to admit I really didn’t pay much attention to what she was saying, because I only had this blood transfusion thing in my mind.  At a certain moment I interrupted her and asked, “Why don’t you believe in blood transfusions?”  The woman responded by saying that the bible prohibits the drinking of blood and that our “blood” is our “life.”  So I said, “Your life is the same as your blood?”  She, as well as her child, both nodded in agreement.  “Oh…” I said, “So when Christ said 'there is no greater love than to give your life up for a friend', was He actually saying 'there is no greater love than to give your blood for a friend?'" 

The child looked at his mom and said, “Wow that makes sense to me!”   The mom turned and starred at her son.  End of conversation.       

Sin, if left untreated, is an open wound that leaves us bleeding to death.  The Lord is my life line.  He is constantly replenishing me with his life, with his blood. 

The bread that I will give is my flesh.   The Lord is like a great friend who can make his presence felt in so many different ways.  He can speak to you.  He can listen to you.  Or He can just be there for you.  In Eucharistic adoration, you know that the Lord is physically, objectively, literally present in front of you.  You can speak to Him, listen to Him or just plain stare at Him.  You pick.  You choose.  The Lord is there for you. 

Like a good friend, He can speak to you or just plain listen to you.  But most likely He will help you rummage through your memories and share some ideas with you.  He may even pull out a thought for you.  The Lord is our friend, and we all know that friends work in mysterious ways. 

The bread that I will give is my life.  The Lord is Life itself.  He is everything:  shepherd and lamb, priest and victim.  He is Abraham and Isaac.  He is Savior and Servant.  He is God and man.  He is everything in One.  He is Three in One.   

Jesus is the living bread that came down from heaven.  His essence is life.  His life is love.  His love is never ending.  It’s that simple.  It’s as simple as bread.

Resolution:  A Christian is a man of his word, a man of The Word, a man made Word.