19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. (Jn 6:41-51)

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

It may also be translated as: The Jews complained to one another. In the desert the Israelites complained endlessly. And it was attributed to their lack of faith. Now their descendants are again complaining. And again it was because of their lack of faith. In fact the gospel of John is the story of unbelief on the part of the Jews. They could not accept the claims of Jesus.

The Jews could not accept this claim of Jesus because they thought they knew his origin, his father and his mother. But we know that Jesus is the Word who came from the Father and became flesh and dwelt among us.

All religions seeks God. But it is only Christianity that says that it is God that seeks man. Jesus came down from heaven in order to seek the lost sheep and bring it back. The Jews could not accept that Jesus was the Father's agent in seeking out mankind.

Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert.

The Jews knew of the manna that their ancestors ate in the desert. They could not accept that Jesus was the true bread that the Father gives for the life of the world. Jesus even dared to say that he was greater than the Law which the Jews believed to be the bread that nourishes the Jewish people.

And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

The verb "give" is used in the NT (New Testament) for the giving of Jesus of his body as a sacrifice on the cross. This handing over of his body brings life to the world. By eating his flesh in holy communion, we receive the life (eternal life) which he won for us on the cross.

THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE

Eternal carries with it the idea of without end. This world will end. The next life has no end. We human beings will die. God will never die.

When we speak of eternal life, we are speaking of that life enjoyed by God in contrast to our life on earth. Eternal life is not just life without end. It is a happy life without end.

Greek mythology relates the story of Aurora, the goddess of dawn, who fell in love with a mortal, Tithonus. Zeus offered here any gift for her lover. Aurora asked that he might never die. She forgot to ask that he might also remain young forever. So Tithonus lived forever growing older and older until life became a curse.

The eternal life offered to us by God is not just life without end. It is a life of complete happiness without end. And every holy communion we receive is receiving not only Jesus but also his promise of a happy life without end.