Wednesday Gospel Webinar Portsmouth Diocese – Formation for Mission

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Sunday 18th June 2017 Corpus Christi John 6:51-58 Jesus said to the Jews: ‘I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.’ Then the Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they said. Jesus replied: ‘I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.

Sunday 18th June 2017 Corpus Christi John 6:51-58 Anyone who does eat my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, But anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.

Literal meaning Where? John 6 – in Capernaum – by the sea of Galilee When? After the multiplication of the loaves What? Discourse of the ‘Bread of Life’ Who? Jesus, Disciples, Jews, Crowd How? Jesus teaches after having fed the crowds Why? Jesus leads his disciples to deeper faith and union with him

Echoes of Israel’s sacred history Bread from heaven – The Manna Eat / will live for ever – The first commandment Son of Man – God himself Flesh / lives in me and I live in him – One flesh Drink his blood – Blood is life Eternal Life – The Tree of Life

Finding God The Tree of Life The Word made flesh The Son of Man Eternal life is Jesus who gives us access to the Father through his Sacred Humanity

Finding the human person A new commandment, echo of the first: EAT! ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’

Finding the Church One Body of Christ Communion with Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and with every member of Christ The Sacrament of Love

Mary, Virgin and Mother, you who, moved by the Holy Spirit, welcomed the word of life in the depths of your humble faith: as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One, help us to say our own “yes” to the urgent call, as pressing as ever, to proclaim the good news of Jesus.   Mother of the living Gospel, wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones, pray for us. Amen. Alleluia.

Acknowledgments Mosaics artworks: © Fr Marko Rupnik and Centro Aletti www.centroaletti.com Scripture: The CTS New Catholic Bible, Copyright © 2007 The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society With gratitude to the Wednesday Word www.wednesdayword.org