Third Week of Easter
28th April 2023 (Friday) Readings and Reflection
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Acts 9:1-20
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
Psalm 117:1bc, 2
R/. Go into all the world, and proclaim the Gospel Or: Alleluia.
Gospel : John 6:52-59
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: Struck and stuck!
Indicative: When God enters into our life, He touches and transforms us and makes us entirely different persons, quite contrary to what we were{alertSuccess}
1. The “I am the bread of life” discourse of Jesus arouses a lot of confusion and dissension. And Jesus does not bother about clarifying. He seems to enjoy their struggle to understand. He goes on insisting that he is the bread of life. But deliberately he seems to thicken the clouds of unclarity and vagueness.
2. He is firm in saying that he is the bread of life. This is different from other bread. He affirms that this is imperishable and different from Manna, the miraculous bread in the Old Testament. However, he is not explicitly clear about what is this bread.
3. Jesus was very clear that the Jews were not at all clear about what is this bread. He knew that they were understanding in purely physical and literal terms, when he said, “Eat my flesh and drink my blood”. But it is strange that he does not clarify at all.
4. All this shows that we need God’s grace to understand the divine mysteries. We need to be open and humble to be taught by God. We need to look beyond and above the material and lower realms.
5. We may have two plausible perspectives on the proposition, “Eating the flesh and drinking the blood”. One is, metaphorical and symbolic, and the other is sacramental. Metaphorically, eating and drinking signifies the entire entity of food and the whole process of assimilation into the entire system and nourishment.
6. So, when Jesus says, eat my flesh and drink my blood, metaphorically it can signify being totally assimilated into him. This indicates a sense of total communion with him.
7. Sacramentally, “eating flesh and drinking blood” indicates the holy Eucharist. It is not merely symbolic and indicative. It is real and substantial. It is mystical. We cannot explain how it is. We say it is “transubstantiation”.
8. The ultimate purpose and effect of this encounter and communion with the Lord is conversion and transformation. Those who see the Lord, encounter him, assimilate his spirit and be communed with him and others. Then you will be radically transformed.
9. This is what I see in the case of Paul in the first reading. Paul encounters the risen Lord, converses with him, and is taught by him. He is then a totally changed person.
Imperative: Our relationship with the Lord should not be something mechanical or superficial. It should be one of intimate communion and transform the whole life{alertSuccess}