Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 23, 2021
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
We all reflect on the Gospel from our own perspectives, informed by our own experiences and situated in our unique places in God’s creation. I have the privilege of reflecting on this passage from the Gospel of John while aboard the International Space Station, orbiting the planet earth once every 90 minutes at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour.
On November 15th, 2020, I launched as the Commander of the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, and subsequently arrived at the International Space Station where I am serving as Flight Engineer for Expedition 64. This mission has been an amazing opportunity for me to contribute to the shared human endeavor of space exploration and also a profound occasion for personal reflection in my life of faith.
Being in space gives a person the ability to see the world in a unique way. When I see the earth from this vantage point, it’s just breathtaking, and I feel like, when I look down, I see the canvas of God’s creation in all its beauty. But today’s reading reminds us that God also sees the world from our perspective, through the human eyes of his son, Jesus, who lived among us. Our God does not remain far above us in the heavens; our God comes to us as flesh and blood.
Jesus continues to dwell among us through the gift of his Body and Blood, and today’s gospel is a central text for our Catholic faith in the Eucharist. I was very fortunate to be able to bring the Eucharist with me on this mission, and I receive communion on a weekly basis. Most notably, I received communion before I went out on my space walks to work on the station. For me, it was extremely important to know that Jesus was with me in those situations. His presence helped me step out into space. The gospel reading today is likewise asking us to step into the unknown. Jesus tells us, “my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink.” Can we take the step to embrace this mystery through faith?
Right now, I can see the earth from above and the vastness of space beyond, but I feel the power of this mystery most significantly because the Lord of all creation floats weightlessly in a pyx beside me.
Prayer
Jesus, we can picture ourselves listening to you in that synagogue. We cannot comprehend what you are saying. It is too much for us to take in—eating flesh and drinking blood to gain eternal life. We need your help to more deeply appreciate the meaning of those words, the mystery of the Eucharist, and what it does for our lives and the life of the world. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. George is one of the most decorated and venerated saints in the Catholic tradition, yet all we really know of him is that he was a soldier and a martyr. He was a Roman soldier in Palestine who stood up to the emperor where Christian persecutions began around the year 300. For this, he was beheaded.
His story seems to have been told among English armies visiting the Holy Land during the Crusades. Convinced of the power of his intercession, soldiers returned to England with a devotion to this saint. From there, many stories were told to fill the curiosity of the faithful, including a tale of George slaying a dragon.
The story tells of a dragon terrorizing a kingdom. The people of the area kept the dragon satiated with gifts of sheep, but when livestock ran out, human sacrifice was required. Victims were chosen by lot, and one day the king’s own daughter was chosen. George rode into the city on his noble steed while this was taking place, and slayed the dragon with one blow. He then gave a stirring speech that converted thousands to be baptized. He was given a great reward, but gave it all to the poor and rode off into the sunset.
Fairytale or not, devotion to George was real, and he is patron of many cities, as well as England and Canada. His feast day used to be one of the biggest holidays of the year in Europe, rivaling Christmas, and a holy day of obligation for Catholics in England until 1778. He is also patron of soldiers, as well as those who work with sheep and horses. His courage and honor also make him patron of the Boy Scouts.
The relics of the martyr, St. George, rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. The image above is a depiction of St. George slaying the dragon by the Renaissance master, Raphael.
St. George, brave soldier and martyr, patron saint of England and of Boy Scouts—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. George is in the public domain. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
