Chew It Up

Apr. 19: Friday of the Third Week of Easter

In yesterday’s first reading, someone got baptized. Today’s readings allude to two more sacraments—the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

Reading 1

Acts 9:1-20

Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

He said, "Who are you, sir?"

The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."

The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."

He answered, "Here I am, Lord."

The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, that he may regain his sight."

But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name."

But the Lord said to him, "Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."

So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, "Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.

He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Hypotheticals like this frequently pop up on the r/Catholicism subreddit: “Shirō Ishii¹ got baptized and became catholic before death. Can such a person be redeemed?” One of the top replies (although it should have been the top reply) was:

"Is there a possibility X was saved?" The answer is always yes.

Saul having blindness and the divine apparition of Jesus were miracles, yes, obviously. But Ananias’s reply is just as much of a miracle. He doesn’t want to save Saul. He wants Saul to go to Hell. Literally.

Jesus doesn’t see it that way. Anyone can be redeemed, even someone like Saul, who was persecuting Christians. He has plans for all of us. We can all do better, we can all be redeemed.

But can we listen to Jesus voice when he calls us?

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 117:1bc, 2

R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

The canter gets a break today—this is the shortest psalm, with only two verses.

But those two verses are, of course, relevant to the first reading. Paul is the Apostle to the gentiles. After the road to Damascus, he really is going to go out to all the world and tell the good news.

Alleluia

Jn 6:56

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood,
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Greek word John uses that we translate as “eat,” trōgōn, didn’t exactly mean “eat” at the time (although it does now). It was more like “gnaw” or “munch.” It’s one more way he emphasizes the literalness of Jesus’ command.

Gospel

Jn 6:52-59

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, and my Blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living 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.

There is just no way around it—Jesus wants you to eat His flesh and drink His blood. It sounds gross, which Jesus acknowledges, yet He still insists you have to do it.

It’s similar to the bread that came down from heaven, manna, but it’s not the same. If it was, Jesus would have said so. It certainly would’ve made His ministry easier. But His goal wasn’t to make things easy, for Himself or us; His goal was to save us.

And for that, baptism (discussed yesterday) is necessary; so is reconciliation (like Paul’s), and Holy Communion.

1. The Japanese surgeon general who experimented on prisoners of war and civilians during World War II, killing thousands.