Message of Abbot Paul - Friday - 19th April 2024

Abbot Paul • April 19, 2024

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I apologise for the brevity of today’s message, but I know you will understand. The journey door to door, including long car rides both ends, waiting at airports and changing planes in Paris, takes around 24 hours, so I spent part of Thursday resting, reading, chatting with the brethren, as well as meeting with the officials of the television company that’s going to film the Profession of Br Miguel this coming Tuesday. Then there were emails and messages from home, some urgent, some not, and a long conversation with my mother on FaceTime. It was also a great joy to speak with a dear friend just before lunch. It’s really warm here still, as it’s coming to the end of Summer, so sleep is easiest just lying on top of the bed. In England the days are lengthening, but here near Lima it remains roughly 12 hours of day and 12 of night.

Our Gospel today continues with the Discourse on the Bread of Life, (Jn 6: 33-39). His hearers begin to argue amongst themselves about what Jesus has just said. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” To this Jesus replies, “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.” His words are clear, indeed as clear as can be, and he is not speaking figuratively. He says what he means and he means what he says. He goes onto say, “Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day.” So our resurrection on the last day is dependent on our eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He emphasises this point by saying, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him.” So again, we can only live in Christ and he live in us if we eat and drink his flesh and blood. He goes on to say that this is the way in which we draw life from him, as he draws life from the Father. Those who ate manna in the desert died, but those who eat of this bread, feed on him and draw life from him. They will live for ever, as he lives for ever in the Father. Eternal life, then, is bound up with feeding on Christ, the Bread of Life.

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