19-04-24 Lebih dari Sekedar Simbol: Memaknai Kehadiran Yesus di dalam Tabernakel

Friday 3rd week of Easter "Jn 6:52-59" The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." Jesus couldn't be clearer: "my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed" and "he who eats me will live because of me." He didn't say 'my flesh is like food' or 'kind of food' or 'reminds you of food' or 'if you sort of eat my kind of flesh...' The meaning was so obvious that the Jews were scandalised, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" But Jesus repeated the same message again with different words. In October 1995 St John Paul II was to greet the seminarians at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore (USA). On arriving, he expressed his desire to first visit the Blessed Sacrament in the oratory. The security personnel quickly flew into action, doing a sweep of the building and especially the chapel. They brought highly trained dogs used to locate survivors trapped in collapsed buildings after earthquakes and other disasters. The dogs went through the halls, offices and classrooms quickly, and then ran through the chapel and into the side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament was reserved. Upon reaching the Tabernacle, the dogs sniffed and whined and pointed it out, refusing to leave (as if they had discovered 'Someone trapped' there) and firmly remained, their attention riveted on the Tabernacle. Their handlers asked in amazement what was in that box. And they were told that the right question wasn't 'what' but 'Who' was there. The bishop of that diocese commented, "It's funny that even dogs can recognise what some Catholics can't: that there is a real living Person in the Tabernacle and that He has been there for 20 centuries waiting for each one of us." Holy Mary, Mother, your Son has been 'trapped' in the Tabernacle for twenty centuries out of love for me; help me to be grateful with deeds of love.