Many of Jesus' disciples refused to put up with or to take seriously His teaching on the Eucharist (Jn 6:60). With their faith in Jesus shaken, they murmured in protest, left Jesus' company, and went back to their old lives (Jn 6:61, 66). The eucharistic Jesus will be for us either a Stumbling-Block surfacing our divisions (Mt 11:6), or through the Eucharist He will make us one as He and the Father are One (Jn 17:21-23).
After the first Christian Pentecost, the newborn Church devoted herself to the "breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42), that is, the Eucharist. Through the eucharistic Jesus, the Church became of one mind and one heart (Acts 4:32). Members of the early Church were ridiculed, arrested, threatened, beaten, attacked, or martyred to destroy their unity. However, they maintained their unity in the Spirit and even deepened it. "The Church was at peace. It was being built up and was making steady progress in the fear of the Lord; at the same time it enjoyed the increased consolation of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:31).
"Is not the cup of blessing we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, many though we are, are one body" (1 Cor 10:16-17). In a divided, divisive, fragmented world, may we let Jesus make us one through His eucharistic love.
| PRAYER: | Father, I accept Your grace to center my life on the daily Eucharist. |
| PROMISE: | "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe; we are convinced that You are God's Holy One." –Jn 6:68-69 |
| PRAISE: | Instead of being discouraged by having to confess the same sin, Patty accepted the graces of frequent Confession and received victory over a stronghold in her life. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College