Live Forever
Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
John 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.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
“Amen, amen, I say to you…” Jesus says. He is really driving home the point that He is actually speaking about eating His very Flesh and drinking His very Blood. His listeners, the Jews, understand clearly what He means—and it really bothers them. “The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us His Flesh to eat?’” Why is Jesus so adamant about this? He is adamant because it is by eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood that we are in Him and He is in us.
We are unified to Christ through the Eucharist. If we want our flesh to be united to His Flesh we need to go to Communion. If we want our blood to be united to His Blood we need to go to Communion. If we want our soul to be united to His Soul we need to go to Communion. If we want our humanity to be united to His Divinity we need to go to Communion. We cannot be poisoned by the false and ignorant Christianity of those “Catholics” who do not attend Mass. It is not an option. Jesus drove this message home for His listeners. We must drive it home, and deeply into our family life. We might even need to insist on this truth to our friends. We miss out on much when we don’t come to Mass— we miss out on Christ and the sweet blessedness of remaining in Him and He in us.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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