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.
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
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 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
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.
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.
· 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.
Reflection today,
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"
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: «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.
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.
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..
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.
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
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.
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.
· 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.
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.
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."
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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