The second reading has some amazing teachings on the sacrament of marriage, that on the onset, seem like supporting a power imbalance in marriage.  However, this happens because parts of the reading are often taken out of context.  Ephesians 5:22, for many women, is the uncomfortable verse, especially in modern times.  “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.” It is so out of context without the verse before it, “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” and the ones after: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her.”  In Paul’s day, this was radical teaching – supporting women, who were still sold into marriage with a mohar (a kind of dowry) and were mainly considered property in those days.  In modern times, this reading in its entirety still rings true.  The additional verses around verse 22 offer the balance.  We are to be submissive and kind to each other.  Make decisions together. Comfort one another.  Trust each other and forgive each other.

 

Teaching Out in the Open

In last week’s Gospel, Jesus doubled-down on His Eucharistic teaching, that He is the Bread of Life.  Through this journey through John 6, we have seen the Biblical evidence of the Eucharist, an evidence that some protestant “Bible Churches” often deny.  This week, we see that this denial was a reality even during Jesus’s public ministry.  There is one verse that sits between last week’s Gospel and this week’s Gospel – verse 59.  It says, “These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.”  I think it is important to note that Jesus was very publicly teaching that He was the Bread of Life, right in the synagogue.  This was not off the beaten path somewhere – He was teaching where both his disciples and other Jews could hear all his teachings.  Yet, he did not make a clarification or say it was a metaphor.  

 

In John 6:60-62 we read, “Then many of his disciples who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard; who can accept it?’ Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, ‘Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?'”  Jesus is not backing down, and some disciples decided to leave.  This is the only time in the Bible where we see disciples leaving because of a doctrine Jesus taught. In John 6:66, it says, “As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”

 

Then Jesus turns to the Twelve, and Peter is reassuring.  In verses 67-68 we hear, “Jesus then said to the Twelve, ‘Do you also want to leave?’  Simon Peter answered him, ‘Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.'” This beautiful verse highlights Peter’s growing faith, but also a truth for us in this modern age.  It is not fashionable or cool to have faith.  We are told by society that to be learned means to be a skeptic or even atheist.  The truth, the real truth, is that skepticism and atheism offer nothing.  These philosophies are empty and hollow.  When we see the fruits of this society all around us, the words of Peter ring true, because if we do not go to Jesus, there is nothing or nowhere else to go.  Only Jesus offers eternal life and salvation.  The peace the world cannot give.

 

Fr. Samuel Keyes has a great article here called, “Unless you Gnaw and Chew My Flesh…” that is a great look at John 6.  This week, I am also going to recommend a book.  It’s St. John Paul II’s book, Theology of the Body. Originally published in 1997, this book is a valuable resource and comprehensive guide to all things involving couples.

 

Amen, Amen, I Say to You

In the Hebrew Bible, the word “Amen” means agreement, truth, faithfulness.  Many translate it to “I agree” or “So be it.”  “Amen, amen, I say to you,” Is Jesus telling us to pay attention.  Jesus is the only one who says “Amen” in the Gospels (except Mark’s shorter ending),  and He uses it as a point of emphasis.  There are important passages in the Gospels that He does this.  The phrase “Amen, Amen I say to you,” appears twenty five times in John’s Gospel, and “Amen, I say to you,” appears fifty times in the other three Gospels.  It is basically giant arrows pointing to the next sentence, telling you what He says next is super important.

In this week’s Gospel, it follows the line, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”  Jesus is telling us that the Eucharist, and His True Presence, is the sum and source of our salvation.  The Biblical evidence of Jesus True Presence is here in black and white, and it’s undeniable.  When we say, “Amen” when we receive the Body of Christ, we are saying, “So be it,” acknowledging the True Presence.

 

If it seems like Jesus is repeating Himself in these passages, well, He is.  He can’t stress these words enough to all His disciples, and some listening in are having a hard time accepting it.  In verse 52, people are getting a bit weirded-out. “The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?'”  Again, Jesus is adamant – In verses 56-58, the Greek form of the word eat is “trogo”, which translates to “chew” or “gnaw.”  This language is very descriptive and direct. In next week’s Gospel, the aftermath of Jesus teaching about He being the Bread of Life is shown.  Stay Tuned!

For a reference of where Jesus says His Amen phrases, look here.  This article, by one of my favorite bible scholars Marcus Grodi, is an in-depth look at John 6:53 from a former Presbyterian turned Catholic.

 

Is this Not Jesus? Son of Joseph?

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus is doubling-down on his initial statement in the Bread of Life discourse that started last week.  Spectators are clearly complaining a bit when they say, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?  Do we not know his father and mother?  Then how can he say,  ‘I have come down from heaven’?”  They all see and hear eyewitnesses’ witness about all the signs Jesus was performing, and yet they still were disbelieving.  This is a theme throughout John’s Gospel; how many of those in power refused to see what was before them.

Jesus is first doubling down on His divinity when he says, “It is written in the prophets:  They shall all be taught by God.”  This just one of the many times in the Gospels that Jesus plainly says He is God, and it plainly goes over everyone’s heads.

 

Next, he further clarifies He is the bread of life. “I Am the living bread that came down from heaven;  whoever eats this bread will live forever;  and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.”  There is no “like.”  There is no paragraph later that clarifies a spiritual meaning for His apostles later.  He is plainly speaking, preparing us for what He will establish with the Last Supper, and His subsequent Death and Resurrection.

This is why the Eucharist was revered as early as the third century, and perhaps even earlier.  Why monks, who were transporting the Eucharist to those in remote places, Revered Him and prayed before Him in the Eucharist.  It is because Jesus IS the Living Bread.

If you are looking for more advanced reading, and an excellent resource on the Bread of Life discourse, check out this article on the Catholic Answers website.  It discusses how to refute errors in understanding John 6.  In this article, Bob Sullivan makes his well-researched rebuke of fundamentalist James White’s video denying the True Presence.

 

The True Presence is the Bread of Life

In John 6:35, 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.”
The miracle in last week’s Gospel garnered Jesus fame; the crowds were growing with followers. Some of them were just happy to be fed by someone.  Others thought He would be a military leader who would overthrow the Romans.
Jesus is teaching the disciples that he is more than a prophet; but the disciples do not always “get it.”
We don’t always get it, either.  The Pew research survey taken in 2019 shows this.  The alarming trend of Catholics not believing in the True Presence of the Eucharist was the impetus for the whole Eucharistic revival.

John chapter 6:35 is very plain and direct in its language: “I am the bread of life.” He is not mincing words.  The strength of the language here emphasizes what Jesus is teaching us. The whole of the Bread of Life Discourse is Eucharistic.

 

Miracle of Sharing or True Miracle?

This miracle is described in all four Gospels, which highlights its importance to the early Church and believers.  There is a modern thought that this was a “miracle of sharing” – that Jesus just encouraged people to share what they had.  This thought, however, is not supported in the Gospels themselves.  This was an impromptu crowd.  They were following Jesus because He was healing the sick. This was not an event where people were bringing food. Philip had said,  “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” Jesus fed them, multiplying the loves and fishes Himself to the whole crowd.  This was a true miracle of God.  They were so amazed, that they wanted to carry Him off and make Him a King!  A simple sharing would not be so great an event the crowd would rebel to replace their king.

 

When Our Effort Seems Small

  How often do we feel our own efforts are too meager?  A great teaching in this Gospel is how one act of kindness can multiply to others.  The boy’s willingness to share his own food is the true sharing in this Gospel, where his kindness here is multiplied by Jesus. In turn, Jesus’s own kindness is shown here in making sure all the people were fed. In our daily lives, a kind word of encouragement or a small act of charity can be multiplied by the Holy Spirit if we allow it.

 

World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Our elderly family, friends and parishioners can offer us a wealth of wisdom only gained from their lives well lived.  Take July 28 as a day to stop and tell them you appreciate them.  A text, phone call or visit can alleviate the loneliness and isolation they often feel.