L'Evangile dans ma vie/ The Gospel in my life

Gospel text

(Jn 10:22-30): 

The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

The Application

Jesus is in Jerusalem, and particularly in the temple area. It seems to us that the Jews were apparently interested in knowing Jesus and search in Him, the ONE who is expected. All these appearances are sadly in fault, because, there refused to believe what is visible and palpable, particularly the goodness that the poor, sick and blind have identified in Jesus. For all those who desire to believe, God does help them to see the invisible Truth, hidden in visible elements.

Jesus once again affirms a truth about faith: faith is a gift, not an intellectual mastery. That is why the Jews with a perfect knowledge of the law, with an eye directed towards this God of the law, including Nicodemus, were not able to believe. We must take this step of Nicodemus, to go to the Lord, in all sincerity, even if it is in the dark, and listen to Him. My sheep listen to me and I know them, a loving knowledge, for His sheep He will give His life.

In these days we are invited not only to discover the risen Christ, but also the One who sent him to us, the Father. If our gaze remains trapped with the visible elements, in the person of Jesus, as a man, we will lose the whole purpose of the incarnation, death and resurrection. It is necessary that we discover the Father in Jesus, for he who has seen Jesus, GOD-MAN, has seen the Father, Jesus told us.

Action of the day: Believe the mystery in you and go beyond what is visible to the eyes and intellect.

“The Father and I are one.”

Fr. Miquel MASATS i Roca

(Girona, Spain)

Today, we see Jesus walking “about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon” (Jn 10:23), during the Feast of Dedication, in Jerusalem. It was then when the Jews ask him: “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly”, and Jesus answers: “I told you and you do not believe” (Jn 10:24-25).

Only through Faith man is able to recognize Jesus Christ as the Son of God. When The Holy Father John Paul II addressed the young people on occasion of the 15th World Youth Day at Tor Vergata, in the year 2000, he spoke about the “school of faith”. To the question “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (Lk 9:18), there are many answers... But, then, Jesus becomes more personal: “But, who do you say that I am?” To correctly answer this question we need the “revelation of the Father”. To be able to answer like Simon Peter did —“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16) it takes God's grace.

But, even though God wishes everybody to believe and be saved, only humble men are capacitated to receive the gift of grace. “But with the humble is wisdom”, can be read in the Book of Proverbs (11:2). Man's true wisdom consists of trusting God.

Saint Thomas Aquinas comments on this passage of the Gospel by saying: «I can see thanks to the sunlight, but if I close my eyes, I cannot see; but this is not the fault of the sun, but mine».

Jesus tells them to believe in him, if nothing else, because of his works that manifest God's power: “The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me” (Jn 10:25).

Jesus knows his sheep and his sheep hear his voice. Faith allows us to connect with Jesus through prayer. What else is a prayer but a way to communicate with Jesus Christ, who loves us and takes us to the Father? And the outcome and reward of this intimacy with Jesus in this life is eternal life, as we have read in the Gospel.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 10,22-30):

On célébrait à Jérusalem l'anniversaire de la dédicace du Temple. C'était l'hiver. Jésus allait et venait dans le Temple, sous la colonnade de Salomon. Les Juifs se groupèrent autour de lui; ils lui disaient: «Combien de temps vas-tu nous laisser dans le doute ? Si tu es le Messie, dis-le nous ouvertement!». Jésus leur répondit: «Je vous l'ai dit, et vous ne croyez pas. Les oeuvres que je fais au nom de mon Père, voilà ce qui me rend témoignage. Mais vous ne croyez pas, parce que vous n'êtes pas de mes brebis. Mes brebis écoutent ma voix; moi, je les connais, et elles me suivent. Je leur donne la vie éternelle: jamais elles ne périront, personne ne les arrachera de ma main. Mon Père, qui me les a données, est plus grand que tout, et personne ne peut rien arracher de la main du Père. Le Père et moi, nous sommes un».

L’Application

Jésus affirme une vérité sur la foi : la foi est un don, pas une maîtrise intellectuelle. C'est pourquoi les juifs ayant une parfaite connaissance de la loi, avec un regard tourné vers ce Dieu de la loi, dont Nicodème, n'ont pas pu croire. Nous devons faire cette démarche de Nicodème, aller vers le Seigneur, en toute sincérité, et l'écouter. Mes brebis m'écoutent et je les connais, une connaissance amoureuse, car pour ses brebis, il donnera sa vie.

En ces jours, nous sommes invités non seulement à découvrir le Christ ressuscité, mais aussi Celui qui nous l'a envoyé, le Père. Si notre regard reste enfermé dans les éléments visibles, dans la personne de Jésus, en tant qu'homme, nous perdrons tout le but de l'incarnation, de la mort et de la résurrection. Il est nécessaire que nous découvrions le Père en Jésus, car celui qui a vu Jésus, DIEU-HOMME, a vu le Père, nous dit Jésus.

«Le Père et moi, nous sommes un»

Abbé Miquel MASATS i Roca

(Girona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui nous voyons Jésus qui «allait et venait dans le Temple, sous la colonnade de Salomon» (Jn 10,23), durant la fête de la Dédicace à Jérusalem. Alors les juifs lui demandent: «Si tu es le Messie, dis-le nous ouvertement!», et Jésus leur répond: «Je vous l'ai dit, et vous ne croyez pas» (Jn 10,24.25).

Seule la foi rend l'homme capable de reconnaître Jésus-Christ comme Fils de Dieu. L'an 2000, pendant la rencontre avec les jeunes à Tor Vergata, Jean-Paul II parlait du “laboratoire de la foi”. À la question «Qui suis-je, aux dires des foules?» (Lc 9,18), il y a beaucoup de réponses… Mais Jésus passe ensuite au plan personnel: «Mais pour vous, qui suis-je?». Pour répondre correctement à cette question la “révélation du Père” est nécessaire. Pour répondre comme Pierre —«Tu es le Christ, le Fils du Dieu vivant» (Mt 16,16)— il faut la grâce de Dieu.

Même si Dieu veut que tout le monde croie et soit sauvé, seuls les humbles sont capables d'accueillir ce don. «Aux humbles, la sagesse», lit-on au livre des Proverbes (11,2). La vraie sagesse de l'homme consiste à se fier à Dieu.

Saint Thomas d'Aquin commente ainsi ce passage de l'Évangile: «Je puis voir grâce à la lumière du soleil, mais si je ferme les yeux, je ne vois pas; ce n'est pas la faute du soleil, mais la mienne».

Jésus leur dit que s'ils ne croient pas, qu’au moins ils croient les œuvres qu'Il fait, qui manifestent le pouvoir de Dieu: «Les œuvres que je fais au nom de mon Père, voilà ce qui me rend témoignage» (Jn 10,25).

Jésus connaît ses brebis et ses brebis écoutent sa voix. La foi mène à fréquenter Jésus dans la prière. Qu'est-ce que la prière, sinon la fréquentation de Jésus, qui nous aime et nous emmène au Père? Le résultat et la récompense de cette intimité avec Jésus dans cette vie, est la vie éternelle, comme nous l'avons lu dans l'Évangile.

Gospel text

(Jn 10,1-10): 

Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

“But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep (…) the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice”

Fr. Francesc PERARNAU i Cañellas

(Girona, Spain)

Today, we keep mulling over one of the most beautiful and well known images of Jesus' preaching: the Good Shepherd, his sheep and the gate. We all keep in our memory the figure of that good Shepherd we were able to look at, as children. An icon well beloved by the first fold, that already belongs to the Christian sacred art at the time of the catacombs. How many memories can be aroused in us that young shepherd with the wounded sheep on his shoulders! We have, quite often, seen ourselves projected in the figure of that poor animal.

Only a few days ago, we were still celebrating Easter and, once more, we have been reminded that Jesus did not speak in a figurative language when He was saying that the good shepherd offers his life for his sheep. For He really did it: his life was the price He paid for our retrieval; with his life He bought ours, and thanks to that deliverance we have been rescued: “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved” (Jn 10:9). We find here the great mystery of the ineffable love of God that reaches unthinkable extremes to save each human creature. Jesus brings his love to the extreme, to the point, of offering his own life. We can still hear the echo of St. John's words in his Gospel, introducing us to the moments of His Passion: “Before the feast of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1).

Of the words of Jesus, I would suggest our paying a deeper attention to these ones: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me” (Jn 10:14); even more so, “The sheep hear his voice (...) the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice” (Jn 10:3-4). It is true Jesus knows us, but, can we also say we know Him well enough, that we love Him and we reciprocate as we should?

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 10,1-10): 

«Amen, amen, je vous le dis: celui qui entre dans la bergerie sans passer par la porte, mais qui escalade par un autre endroit, celui-là est un voleur et un bandit. Celui qui entre par la porte, c'est lui le pasteur, le berger des brebis. Le portier lui ouvre, et les brebis écoutent sa voix. Ses brebis à lui, il les appelle chacune par son nom, et il les fait sortir. Quand il a conduit dehors toutes ses brebis, il marche à leur tête, et elles le suivent, car elles connaissent sa voix. Jamais elles ne suivront un inconnu, elles s'enfuiront loin de lui, car elles ne reconnaissent pas la voix des inconnus». Jésus employa cette parabole en s'adressant aux pharisiens, mais ils ne comprirent pas ce qu'il voulait leur dire.

C'est pourquoi Jésus reprit la parole: «Amen, amen, je vous le dis: je suis la porte des brebis. Ceux qui sont intervenus avant moi sont tous des voleurs et des bandits; mais les brebis ne les ont pas écoutés. Moi, je suis la porte. Si quelqu'un entre en passant par moi, il sera sauvé; il pourra aller et venir, et il trouvera un pâturage. Le voleur ne vient que pour voler, égorger et détruire. Moi je suis venu pour que les hommes aient la vie, pour qu'ils l'aient en abondance».

«Celui qui entre par la porte, c'est lui le pasteur. Les brebis écoutent sa voix et elles le suivent, car elles connaissent sa voix»

Abbé Francesc PERARNAU i Cañellas

(Girona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui nous continuons de contempler l'une des images les plus belles et les mieux connues de la prédication de Jésus: le bon Berger, ses brebis et son bercail. Nous gardons tous le souvenir de ces santons du bon Pasteur que nous contemplions, quand nous étions petits. Une image chérie par les premiers fidèles et qui, dès le temps des catacombes, a fait partie de l'art sacré chrétien. Que des choses évoque ce jeune berger qui porte sa brebis blessée sur son épaule! Tant de fois nous nous sommes vus dans cette pauvre bête.

Tout récemment, nous avons célébré la fête de Pâques et, cette fois encore, nous nous sommes rappelé que Jésus ne parlait pas en langage figuratif lorsqu'Il nous disait que le bon berger donne sa vie pour ses brebis. Il l'a fait réellement: sa vie a été le gage de notre rédemption; avec sa vie Il a acheté la nôtre, et grâce a cette rançon nous avons été libérés: «Moi, je suis la porte. Si quelqu'un entre en passant par moi, il sera sauvé» (Jn 10,9). Nous trouvons ici la manifestation du grand mystère de l'amour ineffable de Dieu qui arrive à des extrêmes inimaginables pour sauver chaque créature humaine. Jésus a aimé au point de donner sa vie. Nous pouvons encore entendre les paroles de l'Évangile de saint Jean, quand il nous introduit au récit de la Passion: «Avant la fête de la Pâque, sachant que l'heure était venue pour lui de passer de ce monde à son Père, Jésus, ayant aimé les siens qui étaient dans le monde, les aima jusqu'au bout» (Jn 13,1).

Parmi les paroles de Jésus je voudrais insister sur celles-ci: «Moi, je suis le bon pasteur; je connais mes brebis, et mes brebis me connaissent» (Jn 10,14); mieux encore, «les brebis écoutent sa voix (…) et elles le suivent, car elles connaissent sa voix» (Jn 10,3-4). C'est vrai que Jésus nous connaît, mais, pouvons-nous en dire autant? Le connaissons aussi bien, l'aimons-nous, le remercions-nous comme il faut?

On this Vocation Sunday, we are given the opportunity to meet these people who are the foundations of the Lord's Church, the universal Church and our parish. First of all, we are invited to listen to Jesus, to look at his disciples Paul and Barnabas who followed the Lord. They ask us to listen to the words of the first reading, in the face of jealousy and thwarted behaviour, "hold on to the grace of God", for we have received a life-giving Word, and through that Word God gives us life.  Do not waste the grace you received at your baptism.

Through the baptism that we have received, we become the people of God, bearing the name of Christ, the holy NAME that God chose for his only Son. Of course we are different and this difference is our richness. The Church of the Lord does not seek uniformity, uniformity of thought and action, but works in this diversity towards unity as one people, a people who listen to the Lord, who love their God and work with him.

For those of you who were present yesterday at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on the synodality, it is clear that certain words were repeated: listening, dialogue and encounter.  "My sheep listen to my voice and I know them," says the Lord. To listen to the Lord, one must know him; to know him, one must love him, St Augustine tells us. To love him, we must do his will. And how to do his will is simply to learn to live a life of peace and reconciliation. Are my words and actions inspired by God's love, or by my personal interest or taste?  Jesus taught us in the garden of Gethsemane: "Not my will but yours be done".  The Father entrusted him with his sheep and Jesus did not want to lose them.

My sheep listen to me and I know them. This listening and knowing are closely linked to love, the knowledge of which is not simply intellectual knowledge, but more deeply a loving knowledge. God so loved the world that he gave his Son, not to judge it, but that through him the world might be saved. On Maundy Thursday we heard: "He wanted to love them to the end. In this love, he wanted all his sheep to be united to him, as he is united to his Father. "The Father and I are ONE.

In this attentive listening, there is an openness to the adventure that God offers us, where we share, where we exchange, where the sheep follow the Lord. The path of life continually teaches us the need to welcome the new that challenges us, and from time to time upsets us. As a religious priest, I am aware of this work that God has done through my priestly ministry. I am aware that I am your shepherd, who needs your listening, your support and your prayer, so that God can accomplish his will, a will that fills us with his immense and inexhaustible love. Paradoxically, the shepherd needs his sheep and the sheep need their shepherd. Let us pray for the priests, the holy priests, who listen to and know his sheep, in the image of Christ, our Shepherd. May they themselves be faithful sheep, who follow the Lord, the eternal Shepherd, Amen.

Gospel text

(Jn 6:60-69): 

Many of the disciples of Jesus 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? It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. 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. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Action of the day: Hold on Christ.

“You have the words of eternal life”

Fr, Jordi PASCUAL i Bancells

(Salt, Girona, Spain)

Today, we have just read in the Gospel Jesus' allocution about the Bread of Life, which is Himself, offering us his body as nurture for our souls and for our Christian life. And, as it usually happens, we have to contemplate two different —if not opposite— reactions, from those who are listening to him.

His language is too hard for some, too incomprehensible for their mentality, closed to the Lord's saving Word; St. John says, somewhat sadly, that “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him” (Jn 6:66). It is the same evangelist who gives us a clue to help us understanding the attitude of these persons: they would not believe, they would not be willing to accept Jesus' teachings, which were, so often, inexplicable for them.

But, on the other hand, we can see the Apostles' reaction, led by St. Peter: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe” (Jn 6:68-69). It is not that the twelve are smarter, or even better, nor do they understand the Bible any better; but they are indeed more modest, more trusting, more open to the Holy Spirit, more docile. Every now and then, we can spot them in the Gospels when making mistakes, unable to understand Jesus, arguing over who is more important and even daring to correct the Master when he announces them his Passion; but they are always faithful, by his side. Their secret: they truly loved Him.

St. Augustine expresses it this way: “Good habits leave no trace in our soul, but good loves do (...). Truly, this is all love is about: to obey and believe whom you love.” In the light of this Gospel we may wonder: where have I placed my love? What faith and what obedience have I to the Lord and to what the Church teaches? What kind of docility, simplicity and trust do I live with regards to God's things?

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 6,60-69): 

Beaucoup de ses disciples, qui avaient entendu, s'écrièrent: «Ce qu'il dit là est intolérable, on ne peut pas continuer à l'écouter!». Jésus connaissait par lui-même ces récriminations des disciples. Il leur dit: «Cela vous heurte? Et quand vous verrez le Fils de l'homme monter là où il était auparavant? C'est l'esprit qui fait vivre, la chair n'est capable de rien. Les paroles que je vous ai dites sont esprit et elles sont vie. Mais il y en a parmi vous qui ne croient pas». Jésus savait en effet depuis le commencement qui étaient ceux qui ne croyaient pas, et celui qui le livrerait. Il ajouta: «Voilà pourquoi je vous ai dit que personne ne peut venir à moi si cela ne lui est pas donné par le Père».

A partir de ce moment, beaucoup de ses disciples s'en allèrent et cessèrent de marcher avec lui. Alors Jésus dit aux Douze: «Voulez-vous partir, vous aussi?». Simon-Pierre lui répondit: «Seigneur, vers qui pourrions-nous aller? Tu as les paroles de la vie éternelle. Quant à nous, nous croyons, et nous savons que tu es le Saint, le Saint de Dieu».

«Tu as les paroles de la vie éternelle»

Abbé Jordi PASCUAL i Bancells

(Salt, Girona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui nous venons de lire dans l'Évangile le discours de Jésus sur le Pain de Vie, Lui-même qui va se donner à nous comme nourriture pour nos âmes et pour notre vie chrétienne. Et, comme il arrive souvent, nous avons pu observer deux réactions bien différentes, et même opposées, de la part de ceux qui l'écoutaient.

Pour certains, son langage est trop dur, incompréhensible pour leur mentalité fermée à la Parole salvifique et vivifiante du Seigneur, et saint Jean ajoute —un peu tristement— «qu'à partir de ce moment, beaucoup de ses disciples s'en allèrent et cessèrent de marcher avec lui» (Jn 6,66).

L'évangéliste nous donne un indice pour comprendre l'attitude de ces personnes. Ils ne croyaient pas, et ils n'étaient guère disposés à accepter les enseignements de Jésus, trop souvent incompréhensibles pour eux.

De l'autre côté, nous voyons la réaction des Apôtres, représentée par saint Pierre: «Seigneur, vers qui pourrions-nous aller? Tu as les paroles de la vie éternelle, et nous croyons» (Jn 6,68-69). Les douze ne sont pas plus malins que les autres; ni meilleurs; ni même plus experts dans les Ecritures; mais ils sont certainement plus simples, plus confiants, plus ouverts à l’Esprit, plus dociles.

De temps en temps, dans les Évangiles, nous les surprenons à se tromper ou à avoir bien du mal à comprendre Jésus; à discuter de qui est le plus important d'entre eux; ou, même, à corriger leur Maître, lorsqu'il leur annonce sa passion; mais nous les trouvons toujours à ses côté, fidèles. Leur secret: ils l'aimaient vraiment.

Saint Augustin l'exprime ainsi: «Ce ne sont pas les bonnes mœurs qui laissent leurs empreintes dans l'âme, mais les bons amours (...). Voici en vérité l'amour: obéir et croire à celui qu'on aime». À la lumière de cet Évangile nous pouvons nous demander: où ai-je placé mon amour? Quelle foi et quelle obéissance ai-je dans mon Seigneur et dans ce que l'Église nous apprend? Avec quelle docilité, quelle simplicité et quelle confiance est-ce que je vis les choses de Dieu?

Gospel text

(Jn 6:52-59): 

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “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. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

The Application

Eating his flesh and drinking his blood is a true participation in the passion of Christ, for Jesus not only gives himself on the altar that we celebrate every day, but more importantly he gives himself daily on the Cross, for the remission of sin. Living a sinless life is already a step towards the holiness that Jesus offers to all believers. Take your own cross and follow me.  To take this cross in joy and freedom, participation in the Eucharist is imperative. 

This teaching was not comprehensible to his contemporaries, nor to the Lord's disciples, including Nicodemus, the teacher of the Law. Saul's call to Paul, a new birth, not through the Law, which Nicodemus was able to master, but through God's mercy, the forgiveness that Paul felt in that Damascus encounter. For this, God needed Ananias, to be called and sent. And, He needs us, all the baptised, to take the risk of going to our enemies, the lost children of the Lord.  In truth, to eat his flesh and drink his blood (which certainly came down from heaven), is to become the Christs, and for the world to be saved.   

Action of the day: Allow God to work in you.

“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.”

Fr. Àngel CALDAS i Bosch

(Salt, Girona, Spain)

Today, Jesus makes three key avowals, such as: that we are to eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood; that if we do not take the Holy Communion we cannot have life; and that this life is the eternal life and the condition for resurrection (cf. Jn 6:53-58). There is nothing in the Gospel so clear, so emphatic and so definite as these statements of Jesus.

We Catholics are not always up to the level the Eucharist requires: at times, we try “to live” without the living conditions set up by Jesus and, yet, as John Paul II has written “Eucharist is too big a gift to admit any ambiguities and reductions.”

“Eat to live”: to eat the flesh of the Son of Man is to live as the Son of Man. This food is called “communion”. It is “food”, and we say “food” so that there is no doubt with respect to its assimilation, to its identification with Jesus. We receive Holy Communion to remain united: to think like him, to speak like him, to love like him. We Christians were missing John Paul II's Eucharistic Encyclical, The Church lives from the Eucharist. It is a passionate encyclical: it is “fire” because the Eucharist is ardent.

“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Lk 22:15), Jesus was saying that evening of the Holy Thursday. We have to recuperate the Eucharistic fervor. No other religion has a similar initiative. It is God himself who descends to man's heart to establish a mysterious love relationship. And as of that point the Church is built and participates in the Eucharist apostolic dynamism and eclesial mission.

We are actually digging into the mystery, as Thomas did when he was touching the wounds of Christ resurrected. We Christians should revise our fidelity to the Eucharistic fact just as Jesus Christ has revealed it and the Church proposes it to us. And we should live once more the “tenderness” towards the Eucharist: well made and slow genuflection, increase the number of spiritual communions... And, starting from the Eucharist, men will look sacred, as they just are. And we shall serve them with renewed tenderness.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 6,52-59): 

Les Juifs discutaient entre eux: «Comment cet homme-là peut-il nous donner sa chair à manger?». Jésus leur dit alors: «Amen, amen, je vous le dis: si vous ne mangez pas la chair du Fils de l'homme, et si vous ne buvez pas son sang, vous n'aurez pas la vie en vous. Celui qui mange ma chair et boit mon sang a la vie éternelle; et moi, je le ressusciterai au dernier jour. En effet, ma chair est la vraie nourriture, et mon sang est la vraie boisson. Celui qui mange ma chair et boit mon sang demeure en moi, et moi je demeure en lui. De même que le Père, qui est vivant, m'a envoyé, et que moi je vis par le Père, de même aussi celui qui me mangera vivra par moi. Tel est le pain qui descend du ciel: il n'est pas comme celui que vos pères ont mangé. Eux, ils sont morts; celui qui mange ce pain vivra éternellement». Voilà ce que Jésus a dit, dans son enseignement à la synagogue de Capharnaüm.

L’Application

Manger sa chair et boire son sang est une véritable participation à la passion du Christ, car Jésus ne se donne pas seulement sur l'autel que nous célébrons chaque jour, mais surtout il se donne quotidiennement sur la Croix, pour la rémission des péchés. Vivre une vie sans péché est déjà un pas vers la sainteté que Jésus offre à tous les croyants. Prends ta propre croix et suis-moi.  Pour prendre cette croix dans la joie et la liberté, la participation à l'Eucharistie est impérative.  

Cet enseignement n'était pas compréhensible pour ses contemporains, ni pour les disciples du Seigneur, dont Nicodème, le maître de la Loi. L'appel de Saul à Paul, une nouvelle naissance, non pas par la Loi, que Nicodème était capable de maîtriser, mais par la miséricorde de Dieu, le pardon que Paul a ressenti lors de cette rencontre à Damas. Pour cela, Dieu avait besoin qu'Ananias soit appelé et envoyé. Et, il a besoin de nous, tous les baptisés, pour prendre le risque d'aller vers nos ennemis, les enfants perdus du Seigneur.  En vérité, manger sa chair et boire son sang (qui est certainement descendu du ciel), c'est devenir les Christs, et que le monde soit sauvé.   

«Amen, amen, je vous le dis: si vous ne mangez pas la chair du Fils de l'homme, et si vous ne buvez pas son sang, vous n'aurez pas la vie en vous»

Abbé Àngel CALDAS i Bosch

(Salt, Girona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui Jésus affirme trois vérités incontournables: nous devons manger et boire le corps et le sang du Fils de Dieu, si nous ne prenons pas l'Eucharistie nous ne pouvons pas avoir la Vie, nous sommes déjà dans la vie éternelle et cette vie est l'unique condition pour la résurrection (cf. Jn 6,53-58). Rien n'est plus clair dans l'Evangile que ces trois affirmations.

Souvent nous, les catholiques, nous ne sommes pas à la hauteur des conditions requises pour recevoir l'Eucharistie: parfois nous prétendons “vivre” sans pour autant satisfaire les conditions de vie demandées par Jésus, et pourtant comme l'a écrit Jean Paul II: «L'Eucharistie est un don si grand qu'il n'accepte pas d'ambiguïtés ou réductions».

“Manger pour vivre”: manger le corps du Fils de l'Homme afin de “vivre” comme le Fils de l'Homme. Ici manger signifie prendre l'Eucharistie. C'est “manger”. Et le terme “manger” est utilisé afin que le besoin d'une ressemblance et d'une identification avec Jésus soit évident: nous devons communier afin de conserver cette union intacte, c'est à dire: afin de penser, parler et aimer comme Lui. Nous, les Chrétiens, avions vraiment besoin de l'encyclique de Jean Paul II "L'église vit dans l'Eucharistie". C'est une encyclique remplie de passion: elle est comme un “feu” car l'Eucharistie est brûlante.

«J'ai ardemment désiré manger cette Pâque avec vous avant de souffrir!» (Lc 22,15) leur dit Jésus le soir du Jeudi Saint. Nous devons retrouver la ferveur eucharistique. Aucune autre religion n'a une telle initiative. C'est Dieu Lui-même qui vient directement dans le cœur de l'homme afin d'établir avec lui une mystérieuse et extraordinaire relation d'amour. Et à partir de cette union s'établit l'Eglise et ainsi nous prenons part à l'activité apostolique et ecclésiastique de l'Eucharistie.

Nous sommes à l'intérieur même du mystère, comme Thomas, qui touche les plaies de Jésus crucifié. En tant que chrétiens, nous devons réévaluer notre dévouement au mystère eucharistique tel que le Christ nous le révèle et comme l'Eglise nous le propose. Et nous devons retrouver cette tendresse envers l'Eucharistie et le respect d'antan: des génuflexions bien posées, plus de communions spirituelles,… Et à partir de l'Eucharistie notre prochain nous semblera plus saint tel qu'il est ainsi nous pourrons nous mettre à son service avec un dévouement tout nouveau.

Gospel text

(Jn 6:44-51): 

Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal 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; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

The Application

If the incarnation was the greatest and most beautiful gift that God offered to humanity, the Eucharist is the greatest gift of Jesus to man, in a personal way. By his death and resurrection, Jesus made us worthy to receive him, and he chose in the Eucharist to disappear in our flesh. It is not we who deserve him, it is he who has chosen us. We must never forget that everything is providential for believers. The Living Bread makes us to live, not only in our humanity, but it makes us live in his divinity. We all become heirs, children of God. He has made us worthy, as the father restored the prodigal son. So let us listen like Philip, and remain faithful to the mission that each of us has received from the Lord.

Action of the day: Be faithful to mission and grateful to the Eucharist.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven”

Fr. Pere MONTAGUT i Piquet

(Barcelona, Spain)

Today, we sing to the Lord whom we receive the glory and the triumph from. The Risen Lord presents himself to his Church with that “I am whom I am” that identifies him as a source of salvation: “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:48). The community gathered around Him who is Alive, by way of thanks, lovingly recognizes him and accepts God's instruction, now known as the Father's teachings. Christ, immortal and glorious reminds us again that the Father is the true protagonist of everything. Those who listen and believe live in communion with Him who comes from God, with the only one who has seen him and, thus, faith is the very beginning of eternal life.

The living bread is Jesus. It is not nourishment we assimilate for us but that assimilates us. It makes us feel hungry for God, thirsty for listening to his Word, which is, our heart's rejoicing and joy. The Eucharist is an anticipation of the heavenly glory: “We divide the bread, the medicine of immortality, the antidote we take in order not to die but to live forever in Jesus Christ” (Saint Ignatius of Antioch). Our communion with the flesh of Christ risen must get us used to all that comes down from Heaven, that is, to beg, receive and assume our true condition: we are made for God and only him can fully satisfy our hunger.

But this living bread will not only one day make us live beyond our physical death, but we receive it now “for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). The Father's design, who did not create us to die, is tied to love and faith. He demands a present, free and personal reply to his initiative. Each time we eat from that bread, let us go deeper into the very Love! We do not live anymore for ourselves; we do not live anymore in error. The world is precious because there is He who keeps on loving it to the end, because there is a Sacrifice out of which we all benefit, even those who ignore it.