The Gospel for Friday of the third week of Easter is taken from St. John 6:52, 59th verse. 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, my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in Him. Just as the 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. Most of us believe that Jesus spoke about his body and blood being something that we have to partake in at the Last Supper. But he said it probably many times when he was talking. So it’s one of the major ways in which we’re invited to look more deeply into what this world is all about, what our existence here is about. It’s about a union and a communion with him and following that lead that brings ourselves and others to life.

Foreign Closing Prayer Father, the mystery of you living inside of us is difficult for us to grasp fully. Bless us with the insight, the faith, the surrender of our minds to this great mystery so that we can truly feel your presence, feel the joy of the work we do together. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.