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Today's gospel concludes St.
John's "Bread of Life" discourse. We are told that there was an
immediate reaction. "This is hard talk. Who can take it seriously?"
Many of the disciples left Jesus' company and returned to their former
ways of life. Then Jesus turned to the apostles and asked, "Do you want
to leave me too?" As usual, it was Peter who responded for the
apostles. "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life."
In all four gospels we observe a turning point when the disciples are
called upon to recognize Jesus for who he really is. This crisis moment
occurred shortly after the multiplication of the loaves, the great
foreshadowing of the eucharist.
In our lives we meet Christ in many circumstances. Our early encounters
probably involved the witness of our mother, father, grandparent, some
friend. Later in life we may find the Lord as we read the gospels.
Christ's love may seize us some moment of prayer. But in the eucharist
we are presented with the living Christ asking that question, "Who do
you say that I am? Do you want to leave me too?"
Who is this Christ? He is never quite what we expect him to be. The
living Lord in the eucharistic demands more than we can ever imagine. He
expects us to take seriously the commitments we have already made. He
challenges us to take the risk of becoming bread, of laying down our
lives each day in loving service for his brothers and sisters wherever
we find them in need. He promises that his words are spirit and life and
that whoever eats his flesh will live forever.
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