Friday of the Third Week of Easter
At certain moments in the Gospels, Jesus seems to turn attention away from himself. For example, when the people want to make him a worldly king, Jesus departs before they can carry him away. And this unassuming service is what we might expect or desire from our leaders.
However, at other times, Jesus unabashedly puts himself center-stage. In today’s Gospel, Jesus goes even so far as to say, “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life.” In this way, Jesus proclaims himself as the very condition of our eternal life. Of course, if Jesus were just another political leader and nice guy, this brashness should scandalize us. But Jesus is much more: Jesus, who is both fully God and fully man, is the center because he is mediator of reconciliation between God and humanity. Therefore, if we wish to live fully and forever, then we must recognize Jesus’ place at the center and unite ourselves to him.
And this marvelous union with Jesus is precisely what takes place in the Eucharist if we are disposed and open to it. During the Mass, Jesus becomes truly and really present under the appearance of bread and wine so that we might receive him and be made one with him. In the Most Holy Sacrament, we can partake of Christ’s body and blood, along with his soul and divinity, in such a way that we are made participant in Christ’s life. And so, the next time we attend Mass, let us take a moment to sit in awe at the great gift of the Eucharist where Jesus Christ is present center-stage and offers us his eternal life.