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| “Eucharist in Fruit Wreath” by Jan Davidsz. De Heem, 1648 |
Reading 1: Acts
7:51—8:1a
Stephen said to the people,
the elders, and the scribes:
"You stiff-necked
people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
you always oppose the Holy
Spirit;
you are just like your
ancestors.
Which of the prophets did
your ancestors not persecute?
They put to death those who
foretold the coming of the righteous one,
whose betrayers and murderers
you have now become.
You received the law as
transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe
it."
When they heard this, they
were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth
at him.
But Stephen, filled with the
Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven
and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the
right hand of God,
and Stephen said,
"Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing
at the right hand of God."
But they cried out in a loud
voice,
covered their ears, and
rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the
city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their
cloaks
at the feet of a young man
named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen,
he called out,
"Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit."
Then he fell to his knees and
cried out in a loud voice,
"Lord, do not hold this
sin against them";
and when he said this, he
fell asleep.
Now Saul was consenting to
his execution.
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Commentary on Acts
7:51—8:1a
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab
R. (6a) Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me
safety.
You are my rock and my
fortress;
for your name's sake you will
lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my
spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O
faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of
your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your
servant;
save me in your kindness.
You hide them in the shelter
of your presence
from the plottings of men.
R. Into your hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps
31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab
Psalm 31 is an
individual lament. The psalmist calls
out to the Lord with confidence in His salvation as in distress he is
persecuted for being faithful. “Into your hands I commend my spirit” and
“You hide them in the shelter of your
presence from the plottings of men.”
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Gospel: John
6:30-35
The crowd said to Jesus:
"What sign can you do,
that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in
the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
So Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to
you,
it was not Moses who gave the
bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true
bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that
which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the
world."
So they said to Jesus,
"Sir, give us this bread
always."
Jesus said to them, "I
am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will
never hunger,
and whoever believes in me
will never thirst."
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Commentary on Jn
6:30-35
Jesus continues the
“Bread of Life” discourse. The people misunderstand and think Jesus is
asking for faith in order to perform a sign (see also Mark
8:11, Matthew
16:1, and Luke
11:16) The Jews in
dialogue with Jesus refer to the favor shown by God, as in the desert following
the exodus, God showered Manna upon the people. They quote Nehemiah
9:15, again seeking
physical bread when Jesus is offering the spiritual. In this
selection St. John provides the most solemn of statements
by Jesus which are unambiguous statements about his real presence in the Eucharist:
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever
believes in me will never thirst.” In this offer, Jesus provides sustenance
for the spirit while physical bread only supports the mortal body.
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Reflection:
Deep into the Easter Season
reminded of the Lord’s resurrection by the martyrdom of St. Stephen. We are also
provided with one of the most moving passages in St. John’s Gospel as the Lord
reminds us that we are called to be a Eucharistic people. When we hear that call, as we must when we
accept his body and blood, we must also ask ourselves what it means to be a
people whose lives are bound up in God’s glorified body.
The Bread of Life is
Jesus! That is exactly what he says – “I am the bread of life.” Acceptance of that offer has both an effect on those who accept it
in faith, and an obligation based upon the gift given.
The grace we
receive can be likened to a transfusion of blood to one who is in need. The transfusion to a patient in surgery or to
one injured in an accident saves that person.
There is no substitute for blood which carries life, air and nourishment
to each cell of the body. Blood also
carries away those things which would poison the body if they were allowed to
remain.
In the same way
the Eucharist brings life to each of us who accept it. Not to the physical body, except as a
consequence of faith which has the power to heal the body and, faith which can
act as a conduit for the Holy Spirit which can physically have miraculous effects
on the physical body. No, the life most
clearly provided is life of the soul, a joining to the supernatural body of the
risen Christ which is like physical blood that brings nourishment and breathes
life into us and washes away the poison of sin.
How much in awe
we are of the sacrifice that placed this gift at our disposal? As we celebrate this Easter of our joy, let
us thank God without ceasing for the gift of this bead from heaven which brings
us life in the next world and hope in this one.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture used is “Eucharist in Fruit Wreath” by Jan Davidsz. De Heem, 1648
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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