Remember while he claimed himself as the Light of the world, he too preached to us: “You are the light of the world.” (Matt. 5: 14) While he claimed himself
The Living Faith
Remember while he claimed himself as the Light of the world, he too preached to us: “You are the light of the world.” (Matt. 5:
14) While he claimed himself as the source of Living Water, he also indicated that we too would be the source of that Water: “Whoever believes in me… Rivers of living water will flow from within him.” (Jn. 7: 38) We read in the Gospel Jesus saying that he is the Bread of life, that came from heaven and everyone who receives me will inherit his Life. (Jn. 6: 22-65) The same Lord commanded his followers to do the same sort of life-giving in their lifetime. This we know from the light he gave us through his life and sayings, that his followers too must be the same toward our neighbors.
Unfortunately, the Life-giving Promise Jesus proclaimed has become a sort of ‘bone of contention’; it has been used as a religious veneer that has split us into many religio-political groups. The funny part in this tension is, whereas all of us truly respect and love our human life, we differ from each other in the style we share the same life with one another. People of goodwill in no way debate on the statements of Jesus: Take and eat; I am the Bread of Life and Take and drink my Blood which has been shed for you.Actually in this hurryberry speedy world, we don’t have enough time to dwell on this. Plus, Scriptural Scholars and Church Fathers have already discussed enough on this matter. Today more than anything else, we are concerned with the core message in those statements Jesus has proposed to us: Namely, how to appropriate his ‘salvific life’ and how to share it with our fellow human beings.
Unquestionably every human is created with the rare blend of material and spiritual life. The Creator designed us in such a way that we should make the best use of this life to extend and expand it, and to repair and to renovate it. On this common Holy and Divine Ground we the humans are living, moving and having our being. Very sadly due to our pride, arrogance and even out of our ignorance and weakness, we fell short of the Lord’s expectation. We always love to use our freedom for choosing our own whimsical style of obeying the Divine’s call to give and share our life. We even forgot the Creator’s Will that our life is not meant to be only for ourselves but mainly for others who are still struggling to enjoy that life. God demanded us to be the bread of life to the needy rather than to our own gratification. Father God tried his best to straighten us out through his messengers as the Prophets and Judges. But again and again we failed him. Hence He was patient enough and sent finally his own beloved Son Jesus to instruct us and direct us in this awesome issue: What is the genuine style of sharing and giving out ourselves as the bread of life to others?
Jesus first demonstrated this unique style of giving life in his very life. Paul explains it in a very succinct way: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich”. (2 Cor. 8: 9) In details he also expounds it in his Letter to Philippians (Phi. 2: 6-8). All NT Books profusely discuss about Jesus’ remarkable pattern of life-giving. Besides they too declare that Jesus demanded from us such style of giving our life.
Jesus Himself is the embodiment of giving life. His style of giving life to humans was nothing but first emptying himself, becoming poor and enduring patiently the breaking-points of sufferings due to his amazing obedience to God, and ultimately giving up his very earthly life for sharing the same life with everyone who comes to him. He lived as a Broken Bread, a Bloodshedding Body, a Shared Meal, and surely an annihilated Valentine who foretold about the climax of his own Love-Affairs with humans. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn. 15: 13)
As Prophet Isaiah preached about what kind of fasting and giving God expects from us, Jesus lived and proclaimed it till his last breath. “Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke? Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh?” (Is. 58: 6-7)
According to the Scriptures, if we go on saluting to our self-centered behavior of enjoying this earthly life as a lonewolf, one day we will breathe our last shamefully and with regrets. In contrast, by giving up our very life-its beauty, energy, riches, talents, intelligence, and including certain of our bull-headed perverse holdings, we are guaranteed by our Master that we will be blessed with Eternal Rewards as he told: “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive back an overabundant return in this present age and eternal life in the age to come.” (Lk. 18: 29-30) “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Lk. 6: 38)
