Reflection
The Resurrection of Christ, which we continue to celebrate with great joy, is a defining moment in human history. Through the Resurrection human beings are gifted with a new dimension of life through the sending of the Holy Spirit. Jesus assured His disciples that it was better for them that He leaves for unless He departed, the Holy Spirit would not come.
And only through the presence of the Holy Spirit are we humans “fully alive.”
Stephen, even amidst his persecution, was “fully alive.” Filled with the Holy Spirit Stephen looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
What do we celebrate during the Easter Season? We celebrate a historical event of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead two thousand years ago, but we celebrate much more. We celebrate the rebirth of human nature through the sending of the Holy Spirit. Paul refers to this new life as a “new creation”; John talks about being born again by water and the Spirit. Yes, for Christians, resurrected life begins here on earth and culminates in heaven.
In this Easter Season we must look at the signs of this new life. The signs of this new presence are scattered throughout the New Testament. John gives us the first sign in today’s gospel, belief in Jesus, “I AM the bread of life; whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.” (John 6:35)
There are few things we share more with people than bread. Think of all the grains, rice, seeds, and nuts that have been pounded, pressed, baked, and broken to sustain us. Bread means life. Even flakes on the ground kept the Jewish people alive in the desert. No wonder God comes into our midst as the living bread.
Today, however the Living Bread faces stiff competition. A slang term for money is bread. To have no bread means you are broke. Nowadays, money appears to be the power that sustains us. After all, with money we can buy almost anything and for some find everything they think they want up on the shelves. Even those who bake bread first go shopping. Most don’t look out their back window upon a field of grain.
So, what will I choose, the true Bread of Life or the world’s false bread? Will I live “fully alive” cooperating with the Holy Spirit or simply be lulled into complacency by the culture, like Paul at the time of Stephen’s stoning.
St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians gives the most comprehensive list of the gifts of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, endurance, kindness, generosity, faith. When we share these virtues with others we are living “fully alive” and sharing God’s glory with the world. We become fully alive to the degree we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us.