John 6: 52-59
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
From the Surface to Surrender
Have you ever been in a conversation where someone says something so out of left field that you think to yourself, Wait, what? As in, I’m sorry — did you just say that out loud?
The Jews in today’s Gospel seem to be having one of those conversations with Jesus. Bread of life? I’m with you. Living bread? Strange, but maybe still workable. Flesh and blood? Woah, sorry man, you lost me. The crowd hits the brakes, because for them, this is where Jesus crosses a line. But Jesus does not back down or soften his words to make everyone feel comfortable. He pushes beyond the conceptual bread and wine and invites us into a flesh and blood communion—no longer floating on the surface, but the deep dive of surrender.
We live in a world that often prefers faith at a safe distance, an inspirational quote or a few principles to get us through the day. Jesus offers something far more demanding, but also far more intimate. The question is whether we’re willing to move from bread and wine to flesh and blood—from the surface to surrender.
—Jackie Schulte is the Head of School and Dean of Faculty Formation at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Prayer
Jesus,
you give us your flesh and blood
as true food and true drink.
When your words challenge us,
give us the courage to strip away what keeps us on the surface,
and lead us into a deeper communion with you.
Amen.
—Jackie Schulte