Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ
Sáu Tuần thứ 3 Phục Sinh
Trong những ngày trước, Chúa Giêsu đã làm phép lạ hoá bánh và cá ra nhiều để nuôi sống muôn người. Người Do Thái nhận ra có một điều
đặc biệt ở đây, đó là Chúa Giêsu có thể là Đấng Thiên Sai hoặc ít nhất là một
tiên tri. Họ đã tò mò tiếp tục theo Chúa. Họ đã
thích thú tất cả những gì mà Chúa đã truyền dậy cho họ, cho dù họ vẫn
chưa hiểu được một đoạn Thánh kinh hoàn toàn và
chính xác, nhưng họ cũng đủ hiểu với những gì họ quen nghe,
nên điều đó khiến họ không gặp những khó
khăn. Họ tiếp tục đặt câu hỏi, tìm kiếm sự hiểu biết, đặc biệt là sự hiểu biết
mà họ có thể thoải mái.
Những khi chúng ta gặp phải những điều khó xử và thử thách trong
cuộc sống của chúng ta,
chúng ta sẽ có thái
độ thế nào khi chúng ta đặt câu hỏi với Chúa?
Có phải
chúng ta sẽ cố tìm cách để hiểu được ý của Thiên Chúa để rỗi
chúng ta sẽ tuân thủ và thực hành theo như kế hoạch của Thiên Chúa,
hay chúng ta phản ứng theo sự phụ thuộc
vào mức độ hiểu biết riêng
của chúng ta?.
Hôm nay, Chúa
Giêsu đã nói lên những lời thực sự gây sốc cho chúng ta, Ngài muốn
chúng ta ăn thịt và uống máu Ngài!
Cho đến thời điểm này, hầu hết đám đông đã sẵn sàng chấp nhận Ngài
như một người ban
phát của ăn cho họ. Ngài
cho họ ăn uống no thoả hôm qua. Có lẽ, nếu họ cố ở lại bên ngài mỗi ngày, Ngài sẽ làm phép lạ hoá bánh cho họ ăn no
thoả nữa. Ý nghĩ của họ về Đấng Thiên Sai quá vật
chất, họ chỉ nghĩ Chúa Giêsu là người sẽ
tái lập Vương quốc của David mà tiêu diệt quân thù La
Mã. Thế nhưng Chúa Giêsu lại muốn đưa họ đến với
mầu nhiệm của lòng thương xót, yêu thương và quảng đại của Thiên Chúa. Giống như xưa, Thiên Chúa đã ban
bánh manna cho họ ở
nơi hoang dã, nay, Ngài muốn ban cho họ một
cái gì đó tuyệt vời hơn nhiều. Tuyệt vời như Vương quốc David, Ngài
muốn cho họ một vương quốc vĩ đại hơn. Điều
này vượt xa tất cả những gì mà họ đang tìm
kiếm; họ sẽ không thể hiểu được những gì Ngài
đang làm và đang
ban cho họ. Và điều này chỉ có thể được chấp nhận trong đức tin.
Chúng ta có
thể hiểu được nhiều thứ, thậm chí nhiều thứ thuộc về tâm linh.
Trong lòng tốt của mình, Thiên Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta trí thông minh để chúng
ta có thể hiểu được một số sự thật về Ngài. Nhưng
những điều đơn giản thật sự hơn là Ngài không muốn tiết lộ vinh quang trọn vẹn của Thiên Chúa.
Chúa Giêsu muốn ban cho nhân loại thịt mình để ăn
và máu của Ngài để uống. Ngài đã
nói rõ điều này với đám đông, và vì họ thiếu niềm tin, nên họ không
hiểu nổi. Một số người đã chán nản bỏ đi, họ
đi tìm một người khác.
Hy vọng, số người trong chúng ta đang tìm kiếm sự mặc khải về mầu nhiệm bí ẩn của Thiên Chúa. Những hồng ân to lớn nhất mà Thiên Chúa có thể ban cho chúng ta vì chúng ta không tìm cách lấp đầy cái dạ
dày hay tâm trí của chúng ta. nhưng chúng ta đang tìm cách lấp đầy trái tim thương yêu của chúng ta. Đây là
những hồng ân mà Chúa Giêsu dự định sẽ ban tặng
cho chúng ta và ban rất nhiều cho chúng ta.
Friday of the Third Week of Easter
What is it I Truly Seek?
On the preceding day, Jesus
multiplied loaves and fishes to feed the multitude. The Jews realize there is
something special here, that Jesus may be the Messiah or at least a prophet.
They are curious enough to continue following him and asking him questions.
They have liked everything he has said up till now. Some of it they have not
understood completely or correctly, but it has been close enough to what they
are used to hearing that it causes them no great difficulty. They continue to
ask questions, looking for understanding, especially understanding they can be
comfortable with. What is my attitude when I question Our Lord about events and
challenges in my life? Am I seeking to understand so I can embrace God’s plan
better, or does my response depend on how much I comprehend?
2. Opening Our Horizons: Now
Jesus has said something truly shocking. He wants them to eat his flesh and
drink his blood! Up to this point, most of the crowd has been willing to accept
him as a bread-provider. He fed them yesterday. Maybe, if they hang around long
enough, he will do it again. Their ideas about the Messiah are too
materialistic, based only on the re-establishment of David’s Kingdom at the
expense of the Romans. Jesus, on the other hand, wants to take them to a new
level. He wants to take them into the mystery of the loving generosity of God.
As good as the manna in the wilderness was, he wants to give something much
better. As wonderful as David’s Kingdom was, he wants to give a greater
kingdom. This is so far beyond what they are looking for; they will not be able
to understand what he is offering. It will have to be accepted in faith.
3. Great Gifts Come in Small Packages: We can understand many things, even many spiritual things.
In his goodness, God has given us intelligence so that we can understand some
of the truths about him. But these simpler truths don’t reveal the full glory
of God. They are not as fulfilling as some of the more important truths about
him. Jesus wants to give his flesh to eat and his blood to drink. He reveals
this to the crowds, and since they lack faith, they don’t understand. Some
straggle off to find another “wonder-worker.” Others, looking for
understanding, go off to look for a “teacher” who makes sense to them.
Hopefully, some are looking for the revelation of the mysteries of God, the
greatest gifts that God can offer. They are not looking to fill their stomachs
or their minds. They are looking to fill their hearts. These are the kinds of
gifts that Jesus intends to give – and in abundance.
Conversation with Christ: Dear
Lord, so often I am looking for material gifts from you. Help me to realize
that the greatest gifts you give may be beyond my understanding. Yet, if I am
willing to accept them on faith, they will fill my heart. Perhaps with time, it
will be possible for me to understand something of them as well, but the
greatness of faith lies in my trust in you.
Resolution: What
spiritual gift I am most in need of? Faith? Charity? Humility? Something else?
Today I will set aside some time to ask God in prayer to grant me that gift.
Friday of the Third Week of Easter
“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. John 6:53–55
On a philosophical level, it’s useful to consider various things
that appear to be “competing forces.” Good appears to be the opposite of evil.
Light the opposite of dark. Heat the opposite of cold. And life the opposite of
death. But are they truly opposites in the sense of being competing forces?
When considered carefully, it is clear that good and evil, light and dark, heat
and cold, and life and death are not actually “competing forces;” rather, evil
is simply the absence of good, darkness the absence of light, cold the absence
of heat, and death the loss of life. And though this philosophical distinction
may not seem that interesting to some, and confusing to others, it is a helpful
truth to ponder in light of today’s Gospel.
Today’s Gospel tells us that failure to “eat the Flesh of the Son
of Man and drink his Blood” results in death. Death is the loss of life, and
the Eucharist is the source of life. Jesus says that if you fail to eat His
Flesh and drink His Blood, “you do not have life within you.”
This bold teaching of Jesus should cause us to stop and examine
our approach to the Most Holy Eucharist. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of
thinking that going to Mass and receiving Communion is something we do as a
“favor” to our Lord. But in truth, it’s God’s most profound favor to us,
because the Eucharist is the gateway to eternal life. And without it, we have
no life within us. Our spirits die because we lose the presence of God.
Looking at the negative effect of not receiving the Most Holy
Eucharist can be very useful. Sometimes we need to consider the consequences of
our actions as a way of motivating us to greater fidelity. For that reason,
considering the fact that failure to eat the Flesh of the Son of God results in
death should be very motivating. It should fill us with a holy fear of the loss
of the life-giving presence of God within us. This “holy fear” is a true gift
from God and is, in fact, one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Reflect, today, upon your interior attitude toward the Most Holy
Eucharist. Do you see your participation in the Holy Mass more as a favor you
offer to our Lord? Or do you see it as it is: the life-giving source of eternal
life? Reflect upon how important this precious gift truly is and recommit
yourself to a faithful and devout participation in this most holy Gift.
My Eucharistic Lord, Your Flesh and Blood are truly the source of
eternal life for all who receive You in faith. I thank You, dear Lord, for this
most precious Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist, and I pray that I will be filled
with a deep hunger and thirst for You always. Jesus, I trust in You.
3rd Friday of Easter: 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have generously bestowed the
beginning of eternal life upon me. I did nothing to merit this grace and
initial share in your life. Help me to collaborate with your grace so that I
may attain the consummation of heavenly glory.
Encountering the Word of God
1. How Can This Man Give Us His Flesh to Eat? It is understandable that
many of the Judeans who heard Jesus preach in the synagogue at Capernaum about
the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood did not fully understand or grasp
what Jesus was saying. Naturally, they quarreled and fought one another about
the meaning of Jesus’ words. In response to their question, “How can this man
give us his flesh to eat?,” Jesus repeats three times that they need to eat his
flesh and drink his blood. The first time, he says that those who do not do
this will not have life. The second time, he promises the gift of eternal life
and resurrection to those who eat his flesh and drink his blood. The third
time, he says that this will cause a mutual indwelling: “Whoever eats my flesh
and drinks my blood, remains in me and I in him” (John 6:56).
2. Eating the Flesh of the Son of Man: There is a nuance in the
Greek text of John’s Gospel that we can miss in our English translation. When
the Judeans ask how this man can give us his flesh to eat, they use the verb “phagein,”
which refers to eating in general. And Jesus uses the same verb the first time
he says: “Unless you eat (phagete) the Flesh of the Son of
Man … you do not have life within you.” But the second and third time Jesus
refers to this action, he uses the verb “trogon,” which was much more graphic
and meant something more like “to gnaw, crunch, or chew.” Greek literature used
the verb to describe the feeding of animals and, in some cases, for human
eating. By doing this, Jesus doesn’t want the crowds to think he was just using
a metaphor comparing welcoming his message in faith to eating bread. “The
change in vocabulary marks a change of focus and emphasis, from the necessity
of faith to the consumption of the Eucharist. The graphic and almost crude
connotation of this verb thus adds greater force to the repetition of his
words: he demands we express our faith by eating, in a real and physical way,
his life-giving flesh in the sacrament” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old
and New Testament, 1901).
3. Drinking the Blood of the Son of Man: Just as Jesus’ command to eat his
flesh was scandalous to some of the Judeans, Jesus’ command to drink his blood
was also a possible cause of scandal. The Old Law prohibited the drinking of
animal blood and explained that life was in the blood (Leviticus 17:13-14).
This law symbolized how human beings were not made to share more deeply in
animal life, but were made for something else, namely, to share in divine life.
Thus, when Jesus commands that we drink his blood, he is bringing the Old Law
of Moses to fulfillment. We share in Jesus’ divine life by drinking from the
chalice of his blood, the Blood of the New and Eternal Covenant, the blood that
was shed for us, for the remission of sins.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am a member of your
Body. Help me to know my place and my role in that Body. Help me to work to
build up the Church and spread the seed of the Kingdom of God throughout the
world so that it may grow in justice, peace, and charity.
3rd Friday of Easter: 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have generously bestowed the
beginning of eternal life upon me. I did nothing to merit this grace and
initial share in your life. Help me to collaborate with your grace so that I
may attain the consummation of heavenly glory.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Jesus Responds to Questions about the
Eucharist: In the Gospel, Jesus
is finishing his discourse in the synagogue in Capernaum. He has just alluded
to the great truth of the Eucharist and, in response, the crowds begin to
quarrel among themselves since they don’t understand how Jesus can give them
his Flesh to eat. Jesus responds to their question by reiterating three things.
First, he says to the crowds that unless they eat the Flesh of the Son of Man,
they will not have life. This is because Jesus’ Flesh and Blood bestow eternal
life on those who partake of them. Second, when we eat the Flesh of Christ and
drink his Blood, we enter into communion with him: Jesus remains in us and we
remain in Jesus. “Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet”
(CCC, 1391). Communion with the Flesh of the risen Christ “preserves,
increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism” (CCC,
1392). Third, Jesus is able to give eternal life to us because he has received
life from the Father. John alludes to this in his prologue: “In him was life
and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Jesus himself proclaims to his
Apostles that he is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The life we
are called to share in, through Jesus Christ, is divine life.
2. The Church as the Body of Christ: Through the Eucharist, we are united to
Christ and are united in one body, the Church. As Communion, the Eucharist
“renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already
achieved by Baptism” (CCC, 1396). These truths are implied in the first
reading. Saul is persecuting the early Church, called the Way, yet Jesus does
not ask him, “Why are you persecuting my followers?,” but rather: “Why are you
persecuting me?.” The Church is truly the Mystical Body of Christ. Jesus
proclaimed a mysterious and real communion between his own body and ours. “In
the Body of Christ, the life of Christ is communicated to those who believe,
and who, through the sacraments, are united in a hidden and real way to Christ in
his Passion and glorification” (CCC, 790). The unity of the Body of
Christ does not take away the diversity of its members. Christ is the head of
the body, the Church. The unity of Christ and the Church, head and members of
one Body, implies their distinction and this is often expressed by the image of
bridegroom and bride. “Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her,
that he might sanctify her” (Ephesians 5:25-26). He has joined the Church with
himself in an everlasting covenant and never stops caring for her as for his
own body (Ephesians 5:29). “Christ purified her by his blood and made her the
fruitful mother of all God's children” (CCC, 808).
3. The Incorporation of Saul into the Body of
Christ: Saul is called to form
part of the Body of Christ. Saul is passionate by temperament, learned in
Sacred Scripture, and a man of conviction. God wants all these talents to be
placed at the service of the Gospel. Saul is an instrument chosen by God and
will carry the name of the Lord to the Gentiles and the children of Israel.
Saul will “open the eyes of the people so that they may turn from darkness to
light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may obtain forgiveness
of sins and an inheritance among those who have been consecrated by faith”
(Acts 26:18). Saul was baptized by Ananias. This was his incorporation into the
suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. Saul will suffer for the name of
Jesus: he was stoned, beaten, and imprisoned on account of the Gospel. He will
ultimately give his life for Christ through martyrdom. He encountered the risen
Christ and now shares in Christ’s resurrection. A few days after his baptism,
Saul began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of
God. This is the grace of Christ at work. Saul used to go from synagogue to
synagogue persecuting the Body of Christ, now he goes from synagogue to
synagogue building up the Body of Christ.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am a member of your Body. Help
me to know my place and my role in that Body. Help me to work to build up the
Church and spread the seed of the Kingdom of God throughout the world so that
it may grow in justice, peace, and charity.
Suy Niệm Thư năm Tuần thứ Ba Mùa Phục Sinh
Lạy Chúa chúng con, cảm ơn
Chúa vì đã sai Chúa Giêsu đến với chúng con! Và Lạy
Chúa Giêsu Thánh Thể, chúng con tin Chúa là bánh hằng sống
từ trời xuống! Chúa đã ban cho chúng con Bí tích Thánh Thể
là món quà yêu thương, bí ẩn và tuyệt vời nhất của Chua. Lạy Chúa, xin dạy
chúng con để chúng con ngày càng hiểu biết và yêu mến Chúa
Thánh Thể hơn nhất là trong
thời gian cầu nguyện này.
Lạy
Chúa tất cả là vinh
quang cho Chúa, Lạy Thiên Chúa Cha là Chúa của chúng
con, chúng
con cảm ơn Chúa vì Chúa đã sai Con của Chúa đến để
giải cứu chúng con khỏi tội lỗi và sự chết đời đời! Lời của Chúa là Sự thật và
là Sự sống! Xin Chúa giúp chúng con khắc ghi những lời của Chúa vào trai tim của
chúng con.
Bài
Tin Mứng hôm Chúa Giêsu có
nói với dân Do thái rằng: ““Chẳng ai đến với tôi được, nếu CHÚA Cha là Đấng đã
sai tôi, không lôi kéo người ấy …”
Thưa Quý OBACE,
Không phải ý riêng
của chúng ta đã thúc đẩy chúng ta đến với Chúa Giêsu,
nhưng chính tình yêu của Thiên Chúa Cha dành cho mỗi người chúng ta. Ngài hành
động trước, Ngài đến để gọi chúng ta, chúng ta cần đáp
lại bằng cách chấp nhận lời mời gọi của Chúa Giêsu và đến với Ngài. Chúng ta
cũng giống
như những mảnh sắt nhỏ xíu bị “hút” vào tảng nam châm; Tình yêu của Thiên Chúa
thì không thể cưỡng lại sự yêu thương dành cho con người! Vâng, đúng như
thế. Đôi khi chúng ta đã làm ngơ mà còn có
khi chống
lại tình yêu của Ngài. Chúng ta chọn từ chối những thứ tốt nhất mà Chúa đã dành cho
chính bản thân của chúng ta. Ý chí tự do của chúng ta thật là một “món quà” rất tốt
đẹp và quý giá nhưng sự tư do này nếu chúng ta dùng không đúng cũng có khả năng tự hủy hoại bản thân của chúng ta.
Chúng ta hay xin Chúa làm cho chúng ta biêt khôn ngoan và biêt yêu thương!
Hôm nay Chúa
nói: “Hết mọi người sẽ được THIÊN CHÚA dạy dỗ” điều này ám chỉ đến những lời
tiên tri trong Cựu Ước. Như trong sách Tien tri
Ê-sai 54:13 đã nói,
"T0ất cả con cái ngươi sẽ được Chúa dạy dỗ." sách Tiên tri Giê-rê-mi
31:33 nói, “Ta sẽ đặt luật pháp của ta trong lòng họ, và khắc ghi vào lòng họ…”
Sách tiên tri Giô-ên 3:1 nói, “Sẽ xảy ra, ta sẽ đổ thần ta trên mọi xác thịt.
Con trai con gái các ngươi sẽ nói tiên tri, các cụ già các ngươi sẽ chiêm bao,
các thanh niên các ngươi sẽ thấy thị kiến.”
Sự truyền đạt âm thầm và yêu thương của
Thiên Chúa đến trong trái tim của chúng ta thật mầu nhiệm; Sự truyền đạt nay chắc
chắn nằm ngoài sự tưởng tượng và trí tuệ của con người chúng ta thường mong
muốn hệ thống hóa kiến thức trên các biểu đồ! Hoàn toàn tin tưởng và đầu phục Chúa, Chúa
Thánh Linh sẽ mở cửa tâm hồn và làm dịu trái
tim của chúng ta, giúp mỗi người chúng ta có được biểu
hiện siêu phàm làcó thể nghe được
tiếng hơi
thở của Thiên Chúa trong sự im lặng bên ngoài
“Tôi
là bánh hằng sống từ trời xuống. Ai ăn bánh này, sẽ được sống muôn đời. Và bánh
tôi sẽ ban tặng, chính là thịt tôi đây, để cho thế gian được sống.”
Manna, là bánh
từ trời rơi xuống đẻ nuôi sống dân Do Thái trong
sa mạc, Đây là
hình ảnh báo trước của bánh hằng sống mới chính là thịt và máu của
Chúa Giêsu Kitô. Trong khi mana từ trời rơi xuống để cung
cấp dưỡng chất cho thể xác con người trong 40
năm trong sa mạc,
Bánh này không có tác dụng thuộc linh cũng như không thể ngăn
cản con người không phải chết, nhưng Chúa Giêsu, được Chúa Cha
sai đến, hứa ban cho con người chúng ta một loại bánh mới, bánh này sẽ
cung cấp thức ăn thuộc linh cho con người chúng ta và còn giúp cho
chúng ta có được tràn đầy ân sủng thiêng liêng cần thiết cho sự sống đời
đời.
Làm sao chúng ta có thể chia sẻ sự thật về
Bí tích Thánh Thể khi có quá nhiều người đang lìa xa giáo hội rời bỏ
Tiệc Thánh Thể?
Hôm nay, hãy suy ngẫm về những lời cực
thánh mà Chúa
Giê-su lần đầu tiên đã nói:
“…bánh tôi sẽ ban tặng, chính là thịt tôi đây, để cho thế gian được sống.” Khi
chúng ta
thành tâm suy ngẫm về những lời này, chúng ta hãy suy ngẫm xem
chúng ta
có tin
những lời này một cách sâu sắc biết bao. Đức tin của chúng ta tin vào trong
Bí tích Thánh Thể sâu đậm đến mức nào? Bí tích Thánh Thể là sự hoàn thành của
đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay, và bản tính Thiên Chúa của Chúa
Giêsu, như Chúa đang mời gọi chúng ta là không những
chỉ tin vào những lời thánh thiện của Ngài mà chúng ta còn
phải để
cho chân lý sự thật này biến đổi chúng ta
theo những cách vượt xa tất cả những sức tưởng tượng của con người chúng ta.
Ngợi khen Chúa vì
thời gian cầu nguyện này! Chúng con có thể thưởng thức được món
quà đáng kính và tuyệt vời mà Chúa đã gởi đến và làm ngập cả tâm hồn chúng con qua Bí
tích Thánh Thể! Lạy Chúa Thánh Thần, xin Thánh Thần ban
cho chúng con
có được ơn phúc ngoan ngoãn để chúng con
có thể nhận ra những lời thì thầm dịu dàng của Chúa trong sự thinh
lặng cầu nguyện
Lạy
Chúa Thánh Thể của con, Chúa thực sự là Bánh Hằng Sống, và tất cả những ai ăn
Thịt và uống Máu Chúa sẽ được thừa hưởng sự sống đời đời. Chúng con luôn
tin điều này, thưa Chúa. Chúng con tin rằng Bí
tích Thánh Thể Chí Thánh là Chúa, Linh hồn và Thần tính của Chúa, đã ban
cho chúng con
để chúng con
có thể được chia
sẻ đời sống thánh hiến của Chúa. Xin ban Chúa cho Chúng con
những ân
sủng cần thiết để đào sâu đức tin của chúng con trong Bí Tích
Thánh Thể Cực Thánh để chúng con được lôi cuốn trọn vẹn hơn vào
niềm vui trong Thiên Quốc Đời Đời của Chúa. Amen.
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Opening Prayer:
Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to us! Jesus, I believe you are the living
bread come down from heaven! The Eucharist is your most loving, mysterious, and
awesome gift. Teach me, Lord, so that I might grow in deeper understanding and
love for the Eucharist during this time of prayer.
Encountering Christ:
1. Draw Me: “No one can come to me
unless the Father who sent me draw him…” It is not our own will that first
prompts us to come to Jesus, but it is God the Father’s love for each of us. He
acts first, and we, in turn, respond by accepting Jesus’s invitation to come to
him. We are like the tiny shavings of iron that are “drawn” to a magnet; God’s
love is irresistible! Well, almost. We do, at times, resist his love. We choose
to deny ourselves our greatest good. What an awesomely beautiful but
potentially self-destructive “gift” our free will is. Lord, make us wise and
loving!
2. Ear of the Heart: “They shall be
taught by God” is a reference to Old Testament prophecies. Isaiah 54:13 says,
“All thy children shall be taught of the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:33 says, “I will
place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts…” Joel 3:1 says, “It
shall come to pass I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons
and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men
will see visions.” So mysterious is Our Lord’s communication lovingly whispered
into the heart; it is certainly beyond the human intellect that often wishes to
codify knowledge on charts! Complete trust and total surrender to the Spirit
unlocks and softens the heart, enabling a person to hear in external silence
the sublime expression, the very breath of God!
3. Manna versus Living Bread: “I
am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will
live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the
world.” Manna, the bread of heaven that fed the Israelites in the desert,
prefigures the new living bread that is Jesus’s flesh. While the heaven-sent
manna provided bodily nourishment, it had no spiritual effect nor prevented
them from dying, but Jesus, sent by the Father, promises a new bread that gives
spiritual nourishment and fills us with the divine grace necessary for eternal
life. How might we share the truth of the Eucharist when so many are walking
away?
Conversing with Christ: Praise you, Lord, for this time of prayer! I relish
the awesome yet overwhelming gift of the Eucharist! Oh Holy Spirit, bestow on
me a docile beatitude that I might discern your tender whispers in the silence
of prayer.
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats
this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for
the life of the world.” John 6:51
Jesus was starting to stir up the emotions of some within the
crowd. They began to ridicule Him because He had said that He was the “bread
that had come down from heaven.” Thus, many of those who had sought Jesus out
in hopes of another miraculous free meal began to murmur among themselves and
ridicule Him. As a result, Jesus began to speak even more clearly and
shockingly. He then went even further and said that He is not only the “living
bread that came down from heaven” but that those who want to “live forever”
must also eat His “Flesh.”
How would you have reacted to such a statement if you were among
those within the crowd? Consider the fact that you would have recently seen,
with your own eyes, the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes.
Therefore, you would have realized that Jesus was someone special, to say the
least. But how would you have reacted to this statement of Jesus, “and the
bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world,” if you had heard
it spoken at that time? Most likely, your reaction would have been the same
reaction that you have right now to the teaching of the Most Holy Eucharist.
Many who heard Jesus speak this way may have thought it was a bit
of an unusual thing to say. Some would have reacted strongly, while others
would have reacted with indifference. But some would have had an entirely
different reaction. Some would have heard Jesus speak these new and shocking
words, would have realized that they did not fully understand what He meant,
but would have believed deeply on account of the gift of faith. Somehow they
would have known, in the depths of their consciences, that they did indeed need
to eat the Flesh of Him Who came down from Heaven since He was indeed the Bread
of Life.
Believing in the Eucharist, in the fact that these tangible and
visible gifts of the Sacred Host and the Precious Blood are, in fact, the Body
and Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Eternal Son of God, can only happen through
the interior and transforming gift of faith. How else can you believe such a
teaching? How else could you believe that these words in today’s Gospel have
come true? And that the reception of the Most Holy Eucharist is the pathway to
eternal life? The gift of faith in the Most Holy Eucharist is the one and only
way to understand, accept and deeply believe what our Lord has spoken in this
Holy Gospel.
Reflect, today, upon Jesus speaking these most holy words for the
first time: “…the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the
world.” As you prayerfully reflect upon these words, ponder how deeply you
believe them. How deep is your faith in the Most Holy Eucharist? The Eucharist
is the fulfillment of this passage, and our divine Lord invites you to not only
believe in His holy words but to allow this truth to transform you in ways
beyond what you could ever imagine.
My Eucharistic Lord, You are truly the Bread of Life, and all
those who eat Your Flesh and drink Your Blood will inherit eternal life. I do
believe this, dear Lord. I believe that the Most Holy Eucharist is You, Your
Soul and Divinity, given to me so that I can share in Your holy life. Give me
the grace I need to deepen my faith in the Most Holy Eucharist so that I will
be drawn more fully into the joys of Your Eternal Kingdom. Jesus, I trust in
You
Thursday 3rd week of Easter 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you will that your Word
spread to the ends of the earth and reach all nations. There are so many today
who are unfamiliar with you and your Word. I pray for those who do not know
you, and I promise to do what I can to spread the Gospel message to those
around me.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Taught by God: In the ancient world, in the time of
Jesus, a person would ask a rabbi to become their disciple (talmid).
And, if a rabbi approved of a student, they would accept them as a disciple.
Now, it was the custom of every Rabbi to have five disciples (see Luke 5:27).
Jesus, though, points out that he is doing something new and different. He
points out that the Father is working to bring people to him. As Jesus says at
the Last Supper: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you” (John
15:16). As well, “When Jesus went from five disciples to 12 (see Luke 9:1-6),
the newness of his mission became evident: he was not one of the numbers rabbis
but had come to gather together the eschatological Israel, symbolized by the
number 12, the number of the tribes of Israel” (Benedict XVI, Wednesday
Audience, May 17, 2006). In his teaching, Jesus is responding to the challenge
and grumbling of his listeners. They think that because they know Jesus’ father
and mother from Nazareth, Jesus cannot claim to have come down from heaven.
Jesus responds by quoting Isaiah 54:13: “They shall all be taught by God.” What
the prophet Isaiah envisioned is coming to fulfillment in Jesus: “Isaiah
envisions the messianic age as a time when Yahweh will restore, prosper, and
teach the children of Israel” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New
Testament, 1901).
2. Faith and Life: Throughout the first part of his Bread of
Life Discourse, Jesus has been emphasizing the essential role of faith. And
this culminates in an “Amen, amen” teaching: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever
believes has eternal life.” If the discourse stopped here, we would have reason
to think that when Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of Life,” he was only using
a metaphor. Believing in Jesus and welcoming him into our lives is similar to
eating bread. But Jesus doesn’t stop his discourse there. No, he moves to a deeper
teaching: “The bread that I will give is my flesh!” Belief in Jesus, then, is
not only connected to the Sacrament of Baptism (see John 3:1-21) but is also
connected to the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
3. The Living Bread and Manna of
the Messiah: Jesus’ teaching
about the Eucharist has deep roots in the history of Israel and their
experience in the desert. Jesus chose to surround his teaching about the
mystery of his presence in the Eucharist with references to the manna from
heaven. He could have chosen the Passover Lamb to explain the Eucharist or the
Bread of the Presence in the Temple. “But when he wanted to emphasize the
necessity of eating his flesh and drinking his blood and the fact that it would
somehow become ‘real food’ and ‘real drink,’ he didn’t choose either of these.
He used the Jewish hope for new bread from heaven, and identified the Eucharist
with the manna of the Messiah” (Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of
the Eucharist, 102). Jesus invites us to ponder the comparison: “if the old
manna of the first exodus was supernatural bread from heaven, then the new
manna of the Messiah must also be supernatural bread from heaven” (Pitre, Jesus
and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, 103).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, the Father has drawn me to you. I
have found you, and I love you. I humbly ask that you raise me up on the last
day to be with you and the Father. You are everything to me.
Thursday 3rd week of Easter 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you will that your Word spread
to the ends of the earth and reach all nations. There are so many today who are
unfamiliar with you and your Word. I pray for those who do not know you and I
promise to do what I can to spread the Gospel message to those around me.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Believing in Jesus: In the Gospel of John, Jesus urges the crowds
to believe in him. Those who believe in Christ, receive him within themselves,
for he dwells in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17). Our minds are
enlightened by faith; our hearts are inflamed by love. Jesus proclaims that
although we have not seen God the Father, he, as the eternal Son of God, has
seen the Father. He teaches us everything the Father has taught him. He reveals
to us what the Father wishes to be revealed for our salvation. He does the
works of his Father so that we might believe and, by believing receive eternal
life. Jesus’ communion with the Father is so deep that Jesus can say to Philip
the Apostle: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9)
2. Parallels between Philip the Deacon and
Jesus: Just as the Ethiopian
eunuch struggled to understand the meaning of the suffering servant in the Book
of the prophet Isaiah, so also the crowds struggled to understand the true
meaning of the multiplication of the loaves. Philip will enlighten the eunuch
about Jesus Christ and his death on the Cross; Jesus will enlighten the crowds
about who he is and what his mission is. Philip introduces the eunuch into
divine life through the Sacrament of Baptism; Jesus begins to reveal to the
crowds the Sacrament of the Eucharist, through which we receive eternal life.
3. Philip Interprets the Prophet Isaiah: In the First Reading, Philip finds the eunuch
in his chariot reading aloud a passage from Isaiah. It seems that the eunuch
had come to believe in the one God whom the Jews worshiped. However, as a
eunuch, “he was barred from becoming a full member of God's people and entering
the inner courts of the temple (Deut 23:2)” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles,
p. 146). Through the prophet Isaiah, God promises that in the age of the
Messiah, foreigners, even eunuchs, will be welcomed into the temple as members
of God's people: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases
me, and who hold fast to my covenant, I give in my house and within my walls a
monument and a name” (see Isaiah 56:3-7). Philip is docile and obedient to the
action of the Holy Spirit. He hears the Spirit’s voice telling him: “Go and
join up with that chariot.” God wants the Gospel to be spread to all nations
and he chooses Philip to be a part of that mission. Philip, one of the seven
deacons of the early Church, eventually settles in Caesarea and is known as
“the evangelist” (Acts 21:8). As an evangelist, Philip helps the Ethiopian
understand one of Isaiah’s four passages on the Suffering Servant of the Lord.
This servant was called by God and commissioned by God to suffer in silence for
the sins of the people. This prophesy is realized perfectly in the passion of
Jesus Christ. The eunuch was taught many other things that day about Jesus
Christ and his Church. Baptism was among these things. The eunuch, on seeing
water beside the road, asks Philip: “What is to prevent my being baptized?” The
answer is that nothing does. As Kurz comments: “Until then, even if he desired
to convert to Judaism, he was barred from full membership in God’s people (Deut
23:2). Now he sees there is no longer anything to hinder him! His faith in
Jesus was enough for him to be incorporated into the people of God through
baptism” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 148). Through his baptism, the
eunuch becomes an adopted son of God, a member of Christ’s mystical body, and a
temple of the Holy Spirit. On coming out of the waters, he will go and spread
the Gospel in his native land. Through his faith in Jesus Christ, the Ethiopian
eunuch receives eternal life, and now he will bring others to enjoy that same
life.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, the Father has drawn me to
you. I have found you and I love you. I humbly ask that you raise me up on the
last day to be with you and the Father. You are everything to me.
Suy Niệm Thứ Năm tuần thứ Ba Phục Sinh
Qua bài Tin Mừng
hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu nói với chúng ta về mối quan hệ “tay ba” (Giữa ba người) đó mối quan hệ giữa Ngài với Đức Chúa Cha, và với chúng ta là những người đã tin vào Chúa. Đó là một mối quan hệ
của ngưòi được sai đi, người bị thu hút, và mối quan hệ thụ động.
Người Cha sai Người Con ra đi, và phản ứng của người con là vâng phục Chúa Cha hết lòng. Chúng ta đến để biết Chúa Cha
bằng cách mở rộng chính tâm hồn của mình để thu hút người
đó là Chúa Giêsu. Tự do và thụ động
đoàn kết trong công việc của Chúa Thánh Thần.
Trong bài đọc thứ nhất Câu chuyện tuyệt vời giữa Philiphê (thầy 6, chứ không Philiphê tông đồ) và quan thái giám người Ethiôpia đã minh họa cách Chúa Thánh Thần hoạt động trong sự tự do, trong sự thụ động, và trong cách mà người tín hữu hợp tác. Thánh Thần đã khích lệ Philiphê biết sẵn sàng để ra đi và đến tất cả mọi nơi mà Chúa sai đi, cho dù là sa mạc, hay thành thị để truyền bá Tin Mừng
của Chúa Kitô đã sống lại cho một người dân ngoại duy nhất!
Giống như Chúa Kitô Phục Sinh trên đường
đi Êmau (Lc 24:45),
Philiphê đã giải thích cho qua
thái giám biết về một người mà ông đang đọc về trong sách tiên tri Isaia (52:
13-53-12) chính là Đức Giêsu, Con
Thiên Chúa, người bị dân Do Thái bắt,
giết chết trên cây Thập giá và đã sống lại. Quan thái giám đã được ơn Chúa Thánh Thần cải hoá, và ông đã yêu cầu xin được chịu phép rửa.\
Chúa Thánh Thần đã dẫn chúng ta ra khỏi sa mạc và đến với nước hằng sống, từ sự
thiếu hiểu biết để đến với sự giác ngộ, từ sự vô sinh cho sự sống dồi dào. Thiên Chúa đã chủ động. Chúng ta nên để cho Thiên Chúa hướng
dẫn chúng ta trong lời cầu nguyện của chúng ta
nữa. Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin Chúa cho Thánh Linh của Ngài làm cho lời cầu nguyện của chúng con
thành những lời chúng con đáp lại lời Chúa. Xin giúp chúng con luôn biết tiến gần đến với trái tim của Chúa hơn.
Reflection:
Jesus speaks to us about the triple
relationship between himself, God the Father, and us believers. It is a
relationship of being sent and being attracted; a relationship of
passivity. The Father sends the Son, and the Son’s response is
total obedience to the Father. We come to know the Father by opening ourselves
to the attraction that is the Son. Freedom and passivity unite in the working
of God’s Spirit.
The
story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch beautifully illustrates how God’s
Spirit works through freedom and passivity, and how believers cooperate.
The Spirit moves Philip to get ready to go to, of all places, the desert, to
spread the Good News to one single gentile! Like the Risen Lord on the
road to Emmaus (Luke 24:45), Philip explains to the Ethiopian that the one whom
he is reading about in Isaiah’s prophecy (52:13-53-12) is Jesus, Son of God,
who suffered, died and rose again. The eunuch is converted and he asks to be
baptized.
The
Spirit leads us out of the desert to living water, from ignorance to
enlightenment, from sterility to life in abundance. God takes the
initiative. We should let God take the lead in our prayer too.
Lord Jesus, may Your
Spirit make our prayer a response to You. Draw us ever closer to Your heart.
