19 April, 2024 | Friday of the Third Week of Easter

 Acts 9:1-20

Gospel Jn 6:52-59 

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,

"How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them,

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,

you do not have life within you.

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood

has eternal life,

and I will raise him on the last day.

For my Flesh is true food,

and my Blood is true drink.

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood

remains in me and I in him.

Just as the living Father sent me

and I have life because of the Father,

so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

This is the bread that came down from heaven.

Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,

whoever eats this bread will live forever."

These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Reflections:

In today's Gospel we see a great dispute among the Jews: "How can this man give us his flesh to eat? The same question is asked not only by unbelievers but also by believers. In this gospel Jesus teaches us some important truths. He says: "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you". The daily food we cook and eat gives satisfaction and good taste to our mouths. This is earthly food. But when we eat His flesh and drink His blood with faith and conviction, we meet Jesus and are spiritually nourished and become one with Christ, so that He lives in us and we in Him. The Eucharist is a "memorial" in the biblical sense of the word.

Action: 

Ask Jesus to help you meet him in the Eucharist.