B: 18th Sun of OrdTime (5 Aug 2018) - EUCHARIST: EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE AND EVERY TIME - Jn 6:24-35

The Institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is biblically founded as occurring during the Last Supper. Surprisingly, there is no mention of this in the Gospel of John as opposed to the Synoptic renditions which carry the double formula: “This is my body” and “This is my blood” (cf. Mt 26:17-30; Mk 14:12-26; Lk 22:7-39). Instead, what we find is the scene on the Washing of the Feet followed by Jesus’ Farewell Discourse (cf. Jn 13-17).

Nevertheless, this does not infer that the sacrament is absent in John. Suitably, our gospel today is often adjudged as anticipating the Eucharistic meal. With Jesus introducing himself as the Bread of Life who gives eternal life (cf. Jn 6:27,35) the priestly formula of transubstantiation in the mass is implied. Rightfully, John leads his readers to an acceptance of this liturgical event which by the time of the composition of the gospels the Early Christians commemorate weekly (cf. Acts 20:7).

Our Johannine text today enlightens us all on how to understand better the Eucharist in our present time. Three points of reflection come to my mind on the essential qualities of the Eucharist today:

1. For EVERYONE. As opposed to the Synoptic accounts, the Johannine Jesus introduces the Eucharist not to a selected few but to an enormous crowd (cf. Jn 6:2,5,24). Similarly, the Eucharist today should not be confined to priests, religious and pious Christians. Rather, it is commissioned and handed over to all as Pope Francis says, “The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.”

2. In EVERYWHERE. The popular illustration of the Last Supper in paintings and art is often with a backdrop of an elegant refectory with beautiful furnishings and neatly arranged vessels. This is reflected in church altars today visible in huge expensive retablos with exquisite gold-leafings and marble floorings. In John, the first Eucharist is held in the poor open fields (cf. Jn 6:10) overlooking the other side of the sea (v. 25). Accordingly, Pope Francis repeatedly declares, “I see the church as a field hospital after battle.”

3. At EVERY TIME. The common catechetical description of the Eucharist is that it is an “anamnesis”, i.e., a remembrance or recollection of the very words and deeds of Christ in the Last Supper. John adds another important element: it is a present ongoing thing. His statement “I am the Bread of Life” (Jn 6:35) transports the mystery to our present time, formulated in the present Greek form of “Ego Eimi” (“I am”) that connects it with the “I am” identification of Yahweh in Exo 3:14. That is why Pope Francis invites all of us to be bringers of the “evangelii gaudium” (joy of the gospel) at all times.

If we view every celebration of the mass today along these lines, we can better appreciate Jesus as not only inviting us to come to him, but is more importantly challenging us to open our hearts to accept him and his mission whole-heartedly.

- Rex Fortes, CM