22 April 2021
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
There is so much joy that comes from being obedient to God and his Word. In today’s first reading, Philip is instructed by an angel to get up and set out on the desert route. Why? For how long? These details aren’t given. Yet Philip obeys. The result is a new person encountering the Risen Christ and being baptized into the Church. Though Philip is snatched away after the baptism, the Ethiopian eunuch continues on his way rejoicing.
Jesus, ever obedient to the Father, tells us in today’s gospel that the bread that he will give is his “Flesh for the life of the world.” Flesh, once mortal and corruptible in the obedient Jesus now has the power to bring everlasting life! Our own mortal bodies with our limited lifespans also have the power to bring life to the world when we are obedient to the Word of God, as Jesus is obedient to the Father.
O death, where is your sting? This is cause for rejoicing.