Suy Niệm Thứ Ba tuần thứ Ba Phục Sinh
Trong chúng ta, không ai thích phải gặp những sửa sai hay bị thách đố những điều khó khăn. Đó là lý do mà những người Do thái đã ném đá thánh Stêphanô. Họ đã tức giận bởi vì ông đã chỉ trích về cách sống của họ, Thay vì họ sửa đổi lối sống của họ như lời giáo huấn của Chúa, thì họ lại đâm ra ganh ghét, thù hận Chúa Giêsu và những người Theo Chúa và đã ra tay tàn bạo dã man.
Có lẽ chúng ta phải tự xét mình vì đô khi trong cuộc sống, chúng ta cũng đã có những lối hành xử chẳng khác gì những người Do thái này, chúng ta không muốn những ý kiến của chúng ta được tôn trọng, sự thoải mái của cái thế giới nhỏ bé của chúng ta không thể thay đổi ngoài ý muốn của chúng ta. Mặc dù thế, chúng ta cũng không thể tấn công bất cứ ai bằng vũ lực, hay bằng những lời nói hộc hằn, độc ác và tàn nhẫn. Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô đã thách thức chúng ta nên tránh né những sự cẩu thả và tham lam của con người. Ngài đã chỉ cho chúng ta thấy những vấn để đó là những thứ gây ra sự đỗ vỡ gia đình và cộng đồng chung của chúng ta. Trớ trêu thay, nhiều Kitô hữu đã bác bỏ thông điệp của ngài một cách giận dữ. Khi chúng ta phản ứng với sự giận dữ và bạo lực, đó là một dấu hiệu cho thấy những lời nói đã đánh đúng vào con tin đen của chúng ta.
Qua bài Tin Mừng, Đám đông người do thái đã ngạc nhiên khi Chúa Giêsu đã hoá bánh cho họ ăn một cách kỳ diệu. Họ muốn nhiều hơn nữa, nhưng Chúa Giêsu muốn họ hiểu được ý nghĩa của việc Chúa đã làm. Chúa Giêsu đã nhấn mạnh rằng bánh ma-na mà Chúa ban cho tổ tiên của họ ăn trong sa mạc chỉ là của ăn là tạm thời, vì họ ăn và họ vẫn còn đói nữa. Vì Chúa là Con Thiên Chúa đã đến từ Trời, Ngài đã mang đến cho nhân loại một nguồn dinh dưỡng để nuôi sống con người nhiều hơn và vĩ đại hơn nữa. Đó chính là Ngài, là bánh trường sinh. Ngài không thể làm tất cả mọi ngưòi trong số những người đó hiểu được lời và ý nghĩ của Ngài.
Nếu cuộc sống của chúng ta chỉ dựa vào lương thực thế trần và nguồn nuôi dưỡng nào khác ngoài Thiên Chúa để nuôi sống chúng ta, thì chúng ta sẽ phải thất vọng. Nếu chúng ta chấp nhận những ơn lành (món quà) mà Chúa Giêsu đã ban cho chúng ta, Thì ơn thánh này sẽ kéo dài mãi mãi cuộc sống của chúng ta. Khi chúng ta cảm thấy bị thất vọng ê chề, thì chúng ta phải chắc chắn tin rằng chúng ta chỉ có thể dựa vào nguồn ơn nuôi dưỡng và sức mạnh của Chúa Giêsu mà thôi.
Lạy Chúa, Xin Chúa luôn luôn nâng đỡ và hướng dẫn chúng con..
Tuesday 3rd Week of Easter (11th April 2016)
People do not like to be challenged. Those who stoned Stephen were outraged and offended by his words of criticism and ironically behaved just as he predicted. We are no different — we do not like our opinions and our comfortable little world challenged. Although we probably won’t physically attack anyone, some respond with vicious and unkind words. Pope Francis challenged human carelessness and greed, pointing out that it is destroying our common home. Ironically, many Christians angrily rejected his message. When we react with anger and violence, it is a sign that the words were right on the mark.
The crowd was amazed that Jesus had fed them miraculously. They wanted more, but Jesus wanted them to understand its significance. He insisted that the manna that their ancestors had eaten was temporary, for they became hungry again. Since he had come from heaven, he brought a far greater source of nourishment and sustenance — himself, as the bread of life. He was unable to make all of them understand. If we draw our life and sustenance from any source other than God, it will let us down. If we accept the gift that Jesus gives us, it will last eternally. When we feel overwhelmed, we should make sure that we are relying on the nourishment and strength of Jesus and that alone.
Lord, sustain me always.
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to me as I turn my heart to you. I need your resurrected power and life. Make my heart burn while you speak to me.
Encountering Christ:
· Asking for Signs: You may recall in yesterday’s reading that the Galileans asked Jesus what work they must do. Jesus invited them to believe in him. And just a moment later they asked again, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?” It is reminiscent of the Israelites in the desert asking Moses for signs after they had already walked through the Red Sea, and received the Ten Commandments, manna from heaven, and water from a rock. These people followed because they witnessed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes just the day before, yet they asked again. We, too, have also seen so much and yet we struggle in our faith. We ask for signs. When we don’t see the answer from God that we want, we can get quite discouraged and question God’s power or providence. Let’s reflect on moments when it has been hard to see God’s power, our moments of questioning, and ask for an increase in faith.
· Holy Moses: The people themselves invoked Moses, almost as if to say, “Why can’t you be like Moses?” Once again, they want signs and wonders on their terms in order to believe in Jesus. Yet Jesus had to make the same point he made earlier. The signs he offered were like the signs Moses offered. They point to God’s power. It was God who was at work, both then and now. The Trinity was present in the divine person of Jesus Christ. Just as God had fed them with manna through Moses, he was now sending a new and more perfect and eternal nourishment in Jesus.
· The Real Bread: “Sir, give us this bread always,” the crowd asked. They wanted a bread that would give them life. That was why they pursued Jesus across the lake and followed his signs. They wanted life! They wanted salvation! They wanted God! Jesus could offer them that and much more. He told them as much when he said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” The answer to all we long for is Jesus Christ. He is the bread that will satisfy us forever. Let’s spend some time expressing to Jesus how much we want him and beg for the graces of the Spiritual Communion prayer that says “never let me be parted from you.”
Conversing with Christ: Lord, may I seek you with all my heart and for all the right reasons. I desire the infinite and the eternal. To never go hungry! To never thirst again! I know you can provide that and so much more. I love you and want to follow you all the days of my life. Indeed, never let me be parted from you. Amen.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray a spiritual communion to unite myself to the Eucharist being celebrated around the world. “My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.”
The Bread of Life
Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
So they said to Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” John 6:34–35
Imagine if you were to never grow hungry or never thirst again. On a natural level, this would be an interesting reality. Of course, if you never had physical hunger or thirst, then you may never enjoy the delight of good food and drink. So why would anyone want to lose out on such delights?
Of course, Jesus was not speaking of natural food and drink, He was speaking of supernatural hunger and thirst. And He was not saying that the spiritual food and drink He came to give us would eliminate our ability to delight in spiritual fulfillment. On the contrary, Jesus was saying that the spiritual food and drink He was to provide would result in neverending fulfillment and satisfaction.
Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel will continue to be read throughout this week, the Third Week of Easter. This chapter presents us with what is traditionally called the “Bread of Life Discourse.” It’s John’s deep, mystical and profound teaching on the Most Holy Eucharist.
First of all, it’s useful to look at this Gospel within its context. Recall that on the previous day, Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and a crowd of people who had been fed by Him were now seeking more food. Jesus uses their desire for more food to begin to teach them about the Most Holy Eucharist, and He wants to do the same for you.
Put yourself into this scene. What is it that you hunger and thirst for the most? Perhaps you have plenty of physical food, but perhaps you don’t. If you do, what else do you crave? What do you desire? When you have identified your deepest desires right now, use these desires to allow our Lord to teach you about the Bread of Life. It might be useful to say to our Lord, “Here are my current desires in life…” And then, allow yourself to hear Jesus say to you, “I want to give you so much more. I am what you truly long for. If you come to Me, you will have all your desires fulfilled and more.” This is essentially the conversation Jesus had with this crowd throughout John Chapter 6.
Do you believe that the Most Holy Eucharist is capable of fulfilling you on the deepest level? Too often we approach that Sacrament in a lazy and distracted way. As a result, we often fail to truly receive our Lord on a level that provides this deepest delight and satisfaction.
Reflect, today and throughout this week, upon your approach to Holy Communion. The Eucharist is Christ Himself. It’s a gift that has the potential to not only sustain us in every way but also to draw us into the greatest Heavenly delights. Believe Jesus’ words in this holy chapter of John’s Gospel. For if you deepen your belief in all that Jesus has said, you will begin to realize that all you crave in life will begin to be fulfilled by this precious gift in ways beyond your imagination.
My Eucharistic Lord, You are the Bread of Life. You are all that I desire in life. Give me the grace of understanding, dear Lord, so that I can come to believe all that You have revealed about the Most Holy Eucharist. I do believe, my God. Help my unbelief. Jesus, I trust in You.
Reflection today,
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” John 6:40
Do you believe in Jesus? Unquestionably the answer is “Yes.” However, to believe in our Lord is something that must deepen with every passing day. Therefore, if you do have faith in Jesus, you can also admit that you do not have faith enough. In this Gospel passage in which the “Bread of Life Discourse” is continued, Jesus calls us to do two things. First, we must see Him. Second, we must believe. Let’s start with the first.
When Jesus first spoke these words to the crowd, they did see His physical presence. But many of them did not see beyond the surface. They saw His miracles, heard His teaching, but very few saw the deeper reality of Jesus as the Son of the Eternal Father and the Savior of the World.
If you are to believe in our Lord and all that He is, then you must first see Him. One of the best ways to foster this “holy sight” of our Lord is to gaze at Him in the Most Holy Eucharist. When you attend Mass or spend time in adoration and look upon the Most Holy Eucharist, what do you see? Do you see the Eternal Son? Do you see His holy divinity? Do you see your God and the Lord of all?
As we stand or kneel before our Lord, present in the Most Holy Eucharist, it’s easy to become distracted. It’s easy to allow our minds to wander to the many other aspects of our daily lives and to fail to see the eternal Son of God as He is present to us.
Reflect, today, upon the way you look at our Lord. If you want to deepen your faith, your belief, then start with your sight. Start by considering how you look at Jesus, present in the Most Holy Eucharist. If you are blessed to be with Him this day at the Holy Mass or in adoration, examine the way to see Him. Gaze at Him. Make an intentional act of faith in His divine presence. Acknowledge His Godhead, His glory, His holiness and His sacred presence. If you can look beyond the surface and lift the veil that covers His glory, then this holy gift of sight will give way, also, to the gift of profound faith.
My ever-present Lord, I thank You profoundly for the way You come to me in the Most Holy Eucharist. I thank You for Your divine presence and glory. Help me to see beyond the veil of the appearance of bread and wine so that I can see more clearly Your divinity. As I see Your divine presence, dear Lord, help me to profess my belief in You with greater certitude and faith. Jesus, I trust in You.
Meditation: I am the bread of life"
Do you hunger for the bread of life? The Jews had always regarded the manna in the wilderness as the bread of God (Psalm 78:24, Exodus 16:15). There was a strong Rabbinic belief that when the Messiah came he would give manna from heaven. This was the supreme work of Moses. Now the Jewish leaders were demanding that Jesus produce manna from heaven as proof to his claim to be the Messiah. Jesus responds by telling them that it was not Moses who gave the manna, but God. And the manna given to Moses and the people was not the real bread from heaven, but only a symbol of the bread to come.
Jesus then makes the claim which only God can make: I am the bread of life. The bread which Jesus offers is none else than the very life of God. This is the true bread which can truly satisfy the hunger in our hearts. The manna from heaven prefigured the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist or Lord's Supper which Jesus gave to his disciples on the eve of his sacrifice. The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. It could not produce eternal life for the Israelites. The bread which Jesus offers his disciples sustains us not only on our journey to the heavenly paradise, it gives us the abundant supernatural life of God which sustains us both now and for all eternity. When we receive from the Lord's table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood and partakers of his divine life. Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.) calls it the "one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ" (Ad Eph. 20,2). This supernatural food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our journey heavenward. Do you hunger for God and for the food which produces everlasting life?
"Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread of life. You alone can satisfy the hunger in my heart. May I always find in you, the true bread from heaven, the source of life and nourishment I need to sustain me on my journey to the promised land of heaven."
Reflection 2016
Bread is a very essential food staple. That's why in the Lord's Prayer, we request to be given our daily bread. This is what sustains us and helps us to keep going through our everyday routine.
Jesus presents himself to us in the form of bread wherein we will experience real life. Through our participation in the Eucharist, we encounter Christ who wants to be part of our lives. As we allow him into our own reality, hopefully, his true love can permeate through every fiber of our being.
We hunger for companionship and acceptance. Our Lord readily gives that to us without our ever needing to ask him. We thirst for justice and God's mercy. This intricate combination can only be granted from a divine source. When we consume the sacred host, we must also allow ourselves to be consumed likewise by his grace.
Only by his intervention can our thirst be quenched and our hunger satisfied. Through his compassion can we truly feed those who are starving for forgiveness, who are thirsting for a miracle in their lives. Once these prayers have been answered, these lives touched by his presence are never ever the same again. May we always consume the bread of life as our real sustenance to face the trials and challenges of living today. Let Jesus guide us in likewise feeding those whose hunger can only be satiated with his love. Our thirst for all that is good can only be overcome by our deep belief in him. This good food is meant for our own good.
Reflection: «My Father gives you the true bread from heaven»
Today in Jesus' words we can see both the differentiation and counterpart existing between the Old and the New Testaments: the Old Testament was an expectation of the New Testament and in the New Testament, God's promises to the fathers of the Old Testament are being fulfilled. Thus, the manna the Israelis ate in the desert was not the authentic bread from Heaven, but an anticipated image of the true bread that God, our Father, has given us in the person of Jesus Christ, whom He has sent to us as Saviour of the world. Moses begs for God to give the Israelis physical victuals; Jesus Christ, instead, has given Himself for us as that divine aliment yielding life. «Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe you. What sign do you perform?» (Jn 6:30), the Jews ask unbelieving and irreverent. Do they perhaps consider meaningless the sign of the multiplication of the bread and fish Jesus had accomplished the previous day? Why did they want yesterday to proclaim Jesus as a king while today they do not want to believe him anymore? How often can the human heart change! St. Bernard of Clairvaux said: «It is so that these impious ones wander in a circle, longing after something to gratify their yearnings, yet madly rejecting that which alone can bring them to their desired end, not by exhaustion but by attainment». And so it happened that those Jews, engulfed by a materialistic vision, expected someone who would nourish them and would solve all their problems, but they did not want to believe; this is all they desired out of Jesus. Is not this the idea of he who is only interested in a comfortable religion, tailor-made and without any commitment?
«Lord, give us this bread always» (Jn 6:34): that I may say these words, pronounced by the Jews from their materialistic look at life, with the sincerity faith provides us with; that they truly mean a desire to nurture myself with Jesus Christ and to live closely united to Him forever.
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