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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood…

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood…

Published May 9, 2025 12:05 am  |  Updated May 8, 2025 04:14 pm
REFLECTIONS TODAY
The second part of the discourse on the Bread of Life begins when Jesus starts to identify the bread as his Flesh (Jn 6:51) which brings about the strong reaction of the crowd. “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” (v 52).
At this point the mystery of the “bread” is transposed into the mystery of Jesus’ offering of himself: giving his flesh and blood refers to his act of sacrifice as an act of love (Jn 13).
The Bread of Life is now more clearly identified to Jesus’ Body and Blood, what we long to receive in Holy Communion in the second part of the Mass. And communion is indeed the perfect word because as Jesus says, “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him” (v 56).
Most biblical scholars attest that the Gospel of John does not have the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper because the author already expounds its meaning here in John 6. John opts to manifest the meaning of the Eucharist more fully in chapter 13 with the washing of the feet: the loving act of serving each other as Jesus Master serves us to the point of dying for us.
First Reading • Acts 9:1-20
…On his journey, as Saul was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. 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.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2025,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
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