In John’s Gospel, today’s passage divides the two parts of the gospel. It comes at the end of the public ministry of Jesus. These are in effect the last public works of Jesus.

There are still 8 more chapters following, but they deal with The Last Supper, the Execution and the Resurrection.

In introducing this last public statement of Jesus, John uses a Greek word not used elsewhere. The word means to cry out, or to shout. Jesus doesn’t usually scream-in fact his last words in John’s Gospel are “it is finished,” a rather mild expression.

It is odd that John puts this phrase, “to cry out in a loud voice,” when in the verse just prior, we are told he is alone. The implication could mean it is meant to be heard by even ourselves, and certainly God the Father.

So, this is an important message. Jesus insists that people believe in him so they may “see” him and in seeing him, they see the Father.

Basically “believing, seeing, and receiving” are the same action.

To believe is a decision, not a feeling. It contains elements of doubt-faith is not the same as fact. A person can try to persuade someone with facts, but no amount of facts are going to change a belief, whether it be about climate change or some other hot button issue.

One can define faith (believing) by its results, or even its opposite. For John, believing is about light. One needs light to see. In the negative, one cannot see in the darkness.

People seem to understand darkness. Something beyond hope or joy, a (hopefully) temporary condition of remorse, guilt, shame, sorrow, and all of the natural conditions we experience from time to time. It’s a lonely self-absorbed world.

In Christ, we have light. We can see that life is not hopeless and all things pass, good and bad, until they become clean with time and patience.

Jesus screams, if you will, that he has not come into this world to redeem the world. Rather, he came to bring light-light that dispels all temporary darkness.

By extension, dwelling on the darkness only leads to more darkness.

“Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” This passage, written this way, sounds as difficult to us as it did in the 1^st century.

In the previous passages of what is called “The Bread of Life course,” Jesus had said if one believes in him, they will have eternal life. Although we understand this as a clear reference to the Eucharist, the words about flesh and blood are uncomfortable to our ears.

In preparing children for their First Communion, adults do not dwell on the aspect of actually eating flesh and drinking blood. There is no specific age when children may receive communion, in the Western or Latin Church, a child must be able to understand the mystery of Christ present in the form of bread and wine. In the Eastern or Greek traditions, even infants and babies receive Communion.

This passage is actually more on the aspect of Jesus giving his body and blood than in the receiving. In other words, this is a reference to his death and through his death we receive life.

Throughout the Easter season, the liturgy looks at the death and resurrection of Jesus from many aspects.

Yes, the body and blood of Christ are mysterious- that is, beyond logic- really incorporated within our bodies. Thus, uniting us with the death of Christ and with one another. That’s why we call it Communion.

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