Readings:
1 John 3:11 – 21
John 1:43 – 51
Reflection
The image Jesus uses with Nathaniel of the angels ascending and descending comes from a story in the book of Genesis where Jacob stops overnight and makes camp. While he is asleep, he has a dream of a ladder leading up to heaven with angels ascending and descending. When he wakes up he interprets the dream to mean that he has been asleep on holy ground. Jesus uses this image to suggest that his person is Holy Ground, the meeting place of heaven and earth. Perhaps Jesus chose to give us his body and blood at communion so that eventually we would come to realise that, with Him dwelling within us, our bodies are Holy Ground. What a different Church it would be then if we gave the same reverence to those who share communion with us, and to ourselves, as we do to the tabernacle behind the altar.
Fr. Ray Sanchez CP is the leader of the Oxley community and is responsible for Parish Missions and Retreats throughout Australia and NZ.