Por Fr. Ed Liptak, SDB

Far north in the Holy Land at Mount Carmel Elijah had slaughtered a host of false prophets seeking to turn the Samaritans back to God. Jezebel, wife of the malicious King Ahab, had sworn to slay Elijah, and he was in flight headed to the Mountain of God far to the south. Put yourself into Elijah’s skin. He was so troubled that ne pled with God for death. Had God heard his plea he would never have met with God and become he whom the Hebrews sought to come again before the Messiah. Elijah was ready to abandon God, but God did not abandon him.

To the Ephesians and every Christian St. Paul advised, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God!” He meant by this, sins against one another, like anger, bitterness, and evil deeds. Instead,  he urged compassion, kindness, and forgiveness in imitation of Christ who sacrificed his Body for us, His brothers, and sisters. Do we need to be reminded that the Eucharist is that same Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ? One of our early brethren spoke of Christian life as grace working to unite our being to the Being of God! In the Eucharist Christ comes to help us.

In past Sundays we have been urged to accept as true that Jesus is REAL in the Eucharist. We take Him at His word: “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” He said that He alone had seen the Father and repeated that He was “from God.” He sought belief and pledged, “Whoever believes has eternal life.”  Then rapidly He uttered a litany of life: “I am the bread of life.” … “Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.” … “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Finally, Jesus gave sure personal identity to the bread from heaven. “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Friends, nether John 6 nor Jesus is finished. What began on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias will end with a challenge to us all. We pray, we receive Him while we await His next Sunday’s challenge. Let us also humbly ask for strength to believe. God does not abandon us. May we not abandon Him.