SHOULD HAVE ETERNAL LIFE…

Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9 
1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.
4 For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;6 like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble.8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever.
9 Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones.

John 6:37-40 

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;39 and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.
40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

MEDITATION

THE FIRST READING: The author dismiss the prevailing supposition that the righteous who experienced much pain and suffering before they died were forever lost. These souls; soldiers of Yahweh are in fact at peace in the hope that they will be victorious. The bodily afflictions believers suffered is not a curse, but a form of spiritual discipline to vanquish any impurities of the soul, of those who place their hope and trust in Yahweh. 

THE GOSPEL READING: Following on from His teaching that He is indeed the bread of life, Christ makes the point that all that the Father gives Him—meaning that those who accept His teaching —that He is indeed the bread of life—and are drawn to Him, “should” (v40) not be lost or forever damned, but be raised up on the last day! The word “should” {some translations use the word “may”} is not a difinitive noun but a modal verb, thus it denote a ‘possibility!’ 

It can thus rightly be said that the fulfilment of Christ’s promise (v40) is hinged on and pressupose that believers not murmur but submit to and fully accept our Lords teaching (Jn 6:35), to be qualified to receive His Body Blood Soul and Divine nature in the form of bread and wine consecrated by a priest in ‘persona christi!’ If indeed any faith tradition or individual teach or suppose that Christ spoke in symbolic terms, then we are spiritually starved and walking in the shadow of eternal death, excluding us from possessing the beatific vision to have direct self-communication of God and being part of the redeemed! 

LET US PRAY:Psalms 23:1-6 

1 A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;2 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days