Friday of the Third Week of Easter

 Lectionary: 277

“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.

The Lord's teaching about the Eucharist cannot be any simpler or more straightforward. In the passage above he uses an insistent negative-positive parallelism; making a negative statement and then restating it again in its positive form: "unless you eat..." and "whoever eats...." 

And then He makes the positive statement a second time to bring it home, "Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him."

Anyone who wants further explanation is stalling. Our response may be wonder, gratitude, and eager desire to receive these precious gifts. It may be Eucharistic processions, faithful attendance at Sunday and daily masses, private hours in silent adoration before the tabernacle; genuflection in church, and a sign of the cross when passing a church. There should be no further questions about how this can happen. We really have better things to do; and analyzing the Blessed Sacrament is utterly pointless!

Hearing the story of Saint Paul's conversion on the same day as the Lord's teaching about the Eucharist contributes to our reflection. The Lord challenged the young, violent Pharisee, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" and again, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."

Saul had never seen the Lord before his crucifixion; he knew him only by hearsay, and was persecuting only disciples of the Lord. When the heavenly voice demanded, "Why are you persecuting me?" the Speaker was clearly taking the attacks personally. And he didn't like them. 

Paul would eventually realize that any attack on a Christian is an attack on the Body of Christ, regardless whether the incident happens in Jerusalem, Damascus, or Rome. He would also understand that if one part of the body suffers the whole body suffers:

But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.

Any understanding of the Eucharist must include that appreciation for all those who eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of the Lord. If a Catholic immigrant is arrested and imprisoned despite their innocence, every Catholic is attacked and feels the pain of it. The Church cannot ignore these assaults on our Communion. Wherever Catholics are terrified of the government or of their neighbors, we feel the threat because we share their faith in God. And we're too familiar with hostility not to understand where it comes from.   

Martyrs of every century bear witness to the challenge of believing in Jesus. Those who feel no immediate danger should pray that we might be found worthy of their companionship. The cost of discipleship is dear, and must be paid. 

If eating His Flesh does not remind us of that, drinking His Blood surely will.