Theme: This Sunday, we celebrate the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is a feast that reminds us of the importance of the eucharist. For Catholics, the eucharist is not only a sign of Jesus, it is the real presence of Jesus.
Questions:
Day 1: The first reading is taken from Deuteronomy. The book of Deuteronomy has Moses speaking to the children of Israel before they enter the promised land. Here, Moses reminded them of how God provided them food during their forty years of wandering in the desert.
The first reading speaks of God humbling the people of Israel. How is 'humble' used in this context?
What does it mean that we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord?
Moses also spoke of forgetting the Lord. What does it mean to exalt one's self? According to Moses, what happens when one exalts one's self?
How can you make sure that you do not forget the Lord?
Day 2: Moses continues to speak about how God fed his people. He describes God as the one who brought his people out of the land of slavery.
Are you in a situation where you feel trapped? God can lead you out of it. What do you want to tell the Lord?
Moses continues to say that God led his people through the great and terrible wilderness, with no water and full of poisonous snakes and scorpions. These are symbols of our sufferings. What God did before, he can also do now. Do you believe that he can lead you through your sufferings? What do you want to tell the Lord?
Moses then said that God gave them water and manna to humble and test the people and to do them good. Based on this, what do you think is the purpose of sufferings?
Are sufferings to be rejected or to be overcome with faith? Why?
Day 3: The psalm gives us an image of what God did for Jerusalem, he is also giving us an idea of what God can do for us.
When the psalmist says that God strengthens the bars of the gates of Jerusalem, he also means that he strengthens the bars of our gates. What are your gates? How does God strengthen them?
The psalm also speaks of peace, and abundance of harvest. The point for this is that God is the one who provides for all our needs. Do you believe that God will provide for all your needs?
The psalm also says that God's word runs swiftly. What does this mean?
Day 4: The second reading is very short and is taken from St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. It speaks of the eucharist which we celebrate during mass.
St. Paul speaks of the cup of blessing. He was speaking of the blood of Jesus. How is the blood of Jesus a blessing to you?
He also speaks of sharing in the blood of Christ. What did he mean by this?
He also speaks of sharing in the body of Christ. What did he mean by this?
Day 5: Although the second reading is short, it is very profound and gives us an opportunity to reflect on the eucharist.
St. Paul speaks of one bread being shared by many in one body. How can the many people who share in the bread be one body?
How does the bread make the many into one body?
What does partaking of one bread mean?
Day 6: In the gospel reading, Jesus reveals himself as the Bread of Life. The day before this, Jesus fed the multitude and they wanted to make him king. He escaped from them and went with his disciples to the other side of the lake. The multitude followed him and he then revealed himself as the bread of life.
What did Jesus mean when he said that he is the bread that came down from heaven?
What did he mean when he said that the bread he gives for the life of the world is his flesh?
What does it mean to eat the body of Jesus and drink his blood?
Day 7: Jesus continues his discourse on the Bread of Life.
Jesus said that his flesh is true food and his blood is true drink. What did he mean by that? Was he speaking figuratively or literally?
If he was speaking literally, do you believe that the eucharist we receive is the true Body and Blood of Jesus? If you do not believe, why?
If he was speaking figuratively, how would you explain the fact that the people could not accept it what he was saying?
