if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you will not have life in you.
It seems like the older I get the more things it seems that I have to do. It never ends. Naturally, if I died today, those things would get done by someone or other things would not. All this is part of God’s plan.
There are, however, things that we as humans need to do every day. We need sleep and nourishment to help us live, heal and grow. ‘Ananias!’ needed this also. Now I have never heard the Lord speak to me in my sleep, but Ananias did. Scripture doesn’t describe the shock that he must have felt hearing the Lord speak. I can only imagine. I might have had a heart attack that same moment, but the Lord gave him strength to survive. The humorous thing is the scripture does tell us the reticence of Ananias at the task that the Lord gave him. Saint Paul was persecuting followers of the “Way” (or Christians ).
There are times I am hesitant in following the will of the Lord in my life. Just like Ananias that I am not anxious to do something that God wants me to do or say. A disciple called Ananias who lived in Damascus had a vision in which he heard the Lord say to him, ‘Ananias!’ When he replied, ‘Here I am, Lord’, the Lord said, ‘You must go to Straight Street and ask at the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes from Tarsus. At this moment he is praying, having had a vision of a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him to give him back his sight.’ The Lord even gave Ananias the address. Which to me as a former postal clerk is reaffirming.
The main thing is that he put aside his misgivings. He baptized and instructed Saint Paul in his ministry to the Gentiles. I can just see Jesus smiling down on both of them. I can also see Jesus smiling on us when we do the right thing, even when logic my say not too.
Jesus says in our Gospel, ‘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. Just like my buddy, Ananias, Jesus is asking His followers to do something that didn’t seem logical. Of course, Jesus explains everything in Luke 22 when He says this IS My Body. The operative word being “is”.
Now I will not stay awake listening to the Lord tonight. Once I am horizontal, my wife, Anna, says nothing keeps me awake. Nonetheless, I believe the Lord gives me inspiration to finish a reflection or solve a problem. The dark and quiet of the night is peaceful and helps me move forward with my life.
I have an original motto that says that I can handle extremely hard and improbable tasks with hard work and prayer. However, the impossible I leave to God. Ananias left the impossible to God. Today, Sunday or the next time you receive the Holy Eucharist look for a moment at the Consecrated host. You are looking at the Body of Jesus Christ which is the impossible except for the miracle of Transubstantiation.
Eat and live!
Bob Burford
PS: Please Pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the conversion of Russia and the salvation of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their soldiers. Pray for the Holy Land. Pray for peace!
