August 26, 2018 Sunday, 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time 1st Reading: Jos 24:1–2a, 15–17, 18b 2nd Reading: Eph 5:21–32 Gospel: Jn 6:60–69
After hearing his doctrine, many of Jesus’ followers said, “This language is very hard! Who can accept it?”Jesus was aware that his disciples were murmuring about this and so he said to them, “Does this offend you? Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh cannot help. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. But among you there are some who do not believe.” From the beginning, Jesus knew who would betray him. So he added, “As I have told you, no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.” After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed him. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Will you also go away?” Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We now believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
Only in faith can one subscribe to the truth that the bread once consecrated at Mass becomes the Body of Jesus and the wine, his Blood in a mysterious process called trans-substantiation. The term means that in the process of turning bread into Christ’s flesh, bread undergoes substantial change while its externals remain unchanged. Even if the appearance remains that of bread, Christ is most present in flesh and blood because of the substantial change.
This sacramental presence of Christ gives us a new perspective of what suffering is. This new perspective is important because the commissioning that happens at the end of the Mass that we go in peace to love and serve the Lord exposes us to a lot of occasions to suffer. Why? The kind of peace involved is not the peace that the world gives (Jn. 14:27) but the product of truth, justice, charity and freedom (John XXIII, Pacem in Terris). These components expose peace promoters to lots of troubles. With the new perspective of suffering that the presence of Christ brings at the Holy Eucharist, none so arduous can deter us from working for peace after every Mass we celebrate.
The issue now is no longer whether or not we eat Jesus’ flesh. The process of trans-substantiation has already addressed the problem of human aversion towards eating human flesh. The issue now is how committed we are to the work of peace even at the cost of suffering each time we eat the body of Christ as one community celebrating the Eucharist. –(Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.
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