John 6:53-54

John 6:53-54
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

I attended Mass on the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (September 21, 2014).  After making the sign of the cross, my priest shared this verse with the parishioners, which was John 6:53-54.  He asked us to sing this verse and we repeated after him.

Song

John 6,
John 6,
then clapped our hands six times,
then sang the numbers 53 and 54.
Then sang verse 54:
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise them up at the last day.

Of course, it was interesting hearing everyone sing and made everyone laugh, which was an amusing way to start Mass.

When it was time for the priest to share the homily, there was a reason he shared that verse.  The question he asked was have you ever put yourself FIRST before others. The first goes last and last comes first.  My answer was no because growing up, I always put others first, which is a blessing.  Though, meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends throughout my years, they often told me, you should make time for yourself and take care of yourself, and I laughed and ignored them because of my pride.  I thought, Really?!

As I got older, I started feeling overwhelmed and worried because I have helped many people, and I realized this is the time to take care of ME.  Ever since, I started volunteering time at my church, the parishioners, former coworkers, and friends that I met have been praying for me daily. I've met them at events, fundraisers, and meetings and had no idea they cared and loved me for being the person I am. Their prayers were for me to seek help from resources they shared or advised or suggested, so I wouldn't feel alone in taking care of myself.

Towards the end of Mass, the priest asked the parishioners again if they remembered the verse I shared in the beginning of the Mass and we did.

What I have learned is that I have never put God first, because of the mistakes and choices I made that I thought would be best for me; but the results from those choices didn’t work out.  Lately, I agree that putting God first has made me calmer and happier, though I still have those off days.  I know that He will provide the path that I am supposed to be on that will make me feel blessed every day.  All this time, He knew that it was time for people to take care of me because of the lives that I have helped and touched.  Amen.

Work Cited:

John 6:53-54 New International Version (NIV) Bible Gateway. (2014, September). Retrieved on September 20, 2014, from, https://www.biblegateway.com/

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