Saul (Paul) was quite the zealot. He was convinced that he was doing God's work by persecuting the Christian communities. He was like so many over-zealous religious people today - and they can be found in all religions. But God had other ideas: Saul met the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus and his life was never the same. He became a herald of Jesus crucified and risen, and the rest of his life was devoted to the Gospel. We should beware of being too sure of our views or resistant to changes and new ideas. We might find ourselves fighting against God! We should allow God to lead us rather than telling God where we want to go.

We can imagine how shocking talk of eating flesh and drinking blood was to those who were listening to Jesus. The words are filled with deep symbolism. Blood was the carrier of life - that is why eating or drinking it was forbidden. Bread signified sustenance and life, and was linked to the manna God provided for the Israelites in the journey through the desert. Jesus is telling us that he is not something or someone to worship. We must make him part of ourselves, just as food and drink become part of every cell of our body. He must be our sole sustainer and source of nourishment and strength. Then, we will know God personally, and we will dwell in God's presence even as we live in this life. This is a complete way of life.