August 12, 2012: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Kneel if you can at your bedside, or in church if you go there after you read this, and thank Jesus for his most amazing gift–the gift of His body and blood that we can receive every day if we want to. (This photo is the kneeler at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima)

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven?'” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. 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. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 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.” (John 6:41-51)

Once again this week we have very strong words from Jesus about Holy Communion. Jesus is telling us once again that He is the bread of life, and that when we receive Holy Communion we will live forever. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to live forever, so I am happy to realize that Jesus does not mean live in this life, but that I will live forever with Him in the next life.

Action:

Kneel if you can at your bedside, or in church if you go there after you read this, and thank Jesus for his most amazing gift–the gift of His body and blood that we can receive every day if we want to. And it might be a good time to seek out one or two friends who are Catholic and who heard this gospel read today and talk with them about how it affects them and their understanding of who Jesus is.