Suy Niệm Thứ Bẩy tuần 3 Phục Sinh
Tại sao những người môn đệ này lại cảm thấy nó khó để chấp nhận những lời của Chúa Giêsu? Có lẽ rất nhiều người đã bị con mắt thế gian che dậy, cộng với cái long tự cao vì họ biết Chúa Giêsu là con của một người thợ mộc quê mùa. Và trong thâm tâm của họ, họ vẫn còn có những ham muốn riêng của họ về sự vật thế gian và không nhận ra bản tính Thiên Chúa của Chúa Giêsu, Con Thiên Chúa đã nhập thể làm người. Trong Matthew câu 22 đoạn 14, viết Chúa Giêsu nói: "Nhiều người được gọi, nhưng ít người được chọn." Nhiều người được mời đến vương quốc của Thiên Chúa, nhưng chỉ có một số ít người nhận ra Chúa Giêsu là Chúa và là đấng Cứu Chúa Thế của họ, và họ là những người sẽ được chọn để vào nước Trời.\
Thế nào là để chấp nhận Chúa Giêsu? Để chấp nhận Chúa Giêsu có nghĩa là chúng ta phải biết đáp lại lời kêu gọi của Ngài, Có nghĩa là chúng ta thật sự tham gia tích cực với Ngài trong cuộc khổ nạn của Ngài trong bất cứ mọi kể giá. Sứ mệnh của chúng ta là trở thành những người tông đồ để loan truyền Lởi của Chúa cho tất cả những người vẫn chưa được nghe và biết đến Chúa, để gieo những hạt giống và để đem ân sủng của Thiên Chúa tới với mọi người và giúp làm cho Lời của Chúa được sinh sôi và lớn lên trong trái tim của họ cho đến khi Lời Chúa được nở rộ trong họ. Nhiệm vụ của chúng ta không phải là chỉ tìm đến vương quốc của Thiên Chúa một mình, nhưng là để mang lại càng nhiều linh hồn cùng đến tới Thiên Chúna với chúng ta.
Chúng ta có trung tín theo đuổi sứ mệnh của chúng ta để theo Chúa Giêsu? hay là chúng ta đang mang những linh hồn khác lánh xa Thiên Chúa và Nước Trời bằng những lời nói khích bác, bằng sự chia rẽ và bằng lối sống ích kỷ của chúng ta? Hay là chúng ta đã chọn việc bỏ Chúa giống như một số các môn đệ của Chúa Giêsu đã làm trong đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay vì chúng ta chưa sẵn sàng vác thập giá của chúng ta và theo Chúa?
Reflection Saturday 3rd week of Easter
What is it that some of the disciples find hard to accept? In John 6:51, Jesus says, "I am the living bread which has come from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I shall give is my flesh and I will give it for the life of the world."
Why did they find it hard to accept the words of Jesus? There were many who got stuck with knowing Jesus as the son of a carpenter. Their hearts were still hardened by their own desires of worldly things and didn't recognize the divine nature of Jesus, that he is the Son of God incarnate. In Matthew 22:14, Jesus said, "Many are called, but few are chosen." Many are invited to the kingdom of heaven, but only those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be chosen to enter the kingdom.
What does it mean to accept Jesus? It means that we respond to his call, that we take active participation in his passion regardless of the price. Our mission is to be apostles who will spread the word of God to all those who haven't heard it yet, to plant the seed and let God's grace grow in their hearts until it reaches full bloom. Our mission is not to go to God's kingdom alone, but to bring as many souls with us.
Have we been faithful in pursuing our mission, or have we brought souls farther away from God and from His kingdom with our worldliness, our selfishness? Or have we chosen to walk away like many of the disciples did during Jesus' time because we are not ready to take up our cross and follow him?
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:67–69
Sometimes we are tempted to value a superficial unity over the Gospel. While this temptation is understandable, it is ultimately not acceptable. The Gospel is demanding because it presents to us the deep and transforming truths of Who God is and His invitation to share in His life. The Gospel invites us to believe everything Jesus taught us with absolute conviction, including His teachings on the Most Holy Eucharist.
After Jesus finished His discourse on the Bread of Life, we read: “Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard; who can accept it?’” (John 6:60). After Jesus acknowledged their shock at His teaching, “many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66).
If we carefully read through Jesus’ numerous teachings, we will find ourselves exceptionally challenged. Jesus doesn’t preach superficial unity. He’s not a politician who speaks merely to gain support. He speaks the clear and demanding truths that we need to hear in order to become full members of His Body, the Church.
What did Jesus say that resulted in many of His disciples leaving Him and returning to their former way of life? The answer is found in the paragraph prior to today’s Gospel:
“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” (John 6:54–58).
In addition to Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist, His teaching of absolute forgiveness and mercy toward those who wrong us or persecute us left many in awe. His teaching that we must take up our cross and follow Him left many astonished. And His teaching that He would suffer greatly at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and rise on the third day left many in shock. Though Peter and the other Eleven might have experienced this astonishment, they believed, despite not fully understanding, leaving us an example to follow.
Reflect today on the absolute demands that the Gospel’s pure and holy truths place on us. If you have never been shocked by the Gospel, then it might mean you need to delve deeper into what Jesus taught. Being shaken to the core by Divine Truth is good and necessary. That experience will help us to step into our astonishment with faith and commitment, saying with Peter: “Lord, to whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life. I have come to believe and am convinced that you are the Holy One of God. I will follow You!”
My demanding Lord, I want to know You and the many truths You want to teach me. I want to have faith and follow You no matter what You ask of me. Give me the courage I need to listen to all that You reveal so that I may be transformed by Your Truth and move beyond astonishment in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are all-powerful and know all things. You know how my life will unfold and how I will be judged. I renew my trust in you that you will guide me and bring me to safe harbor. Strength me in times of temptation and trial so that I may share in the victory of your Son.
1. Who was Mark the Evangelist? John Mark was the son of Mary of Jerusalem (Acts 12:12), a cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), and the author of the second Gospel. He was an early convert and accompanied Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary Journey. For some reason, Mark abandoned them on the mission and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13) (see Catholic Bible Dictionary, p. 573). After the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-29), Paul and Barnabas disagreed about taking Mark with them on their second missionary journey: “Barnabas wanted to take with them also John, who was called Mark, but Paul insisted that they should not take with them someone who had deserted them at Pamphylia and who had not continued with them in their work. So sharp was their disagreement that they separated” (Acts 15:37-39). Paul would take Silas on his mission to Syria and Cilicia, and Mark continued with Barnabas on a mission to Cyprus (Acts 15:39-41). Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this episode and the dispute and disagreement among the saints: “And I find this very comforting, because we see that the saints have not ‘fallen from Heaven.’ They are people like us, who also have complicated problems. Holiness does not consist in never having erred or sinned. Holiness increases the capacity for conversion, for repentance, for willingness to start again, and, especially, for reconciliation and forgiveness” (Benedict XVI, Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church, p. 141). Mark later reconciled with Paul and was with him while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Mark was also with Peter in Rome (1 Peter 5:13), and according to Papias, was the interpreter for Peter and wrote down Peter’s teaching in the Gospel according to Mark. After the death of Peter, Mark went to Alexandria in Egypt and was the first bishop there (see Catholic Bible Dictionary, p. 573).
As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” John 6:66–67
Today’s Gospel concludes the beautiful and profound sermon on the Bread of Life (see John 6:22–71). When you read this sermon from beginning to end, it is noticeable that Jesus moves from more general statements about the Bread of Life that are easier to accept to more specific statements that are challenging. He concludes His teaching just prior to today’s Gospel by saying very directly, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” After Jesus said this, many who had been listening to Him left Him and no longer followed Him.
There are generally three common attitudes people have toward the Most Holy Eucharist. One attitude is that of profound faith. Another is that of indifference. And a third is what we find in today’s Gospel: disbelief. Those who walked away from Jesus in today’s Gospel did so because they said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” What a great statement and question to ponder.
It is true, in a certain way, that the teaching of Jesus on the Most Holy Eucharist is a hard saying. “Hard,” however, is not bad. It’s hard in the sense that belief in the Eucharist is only possible through a faith that comes from a deep interior revelation from God. In the case of those who walked away from Jesus, they heard His teaching, but their hearts were closed to the gift of faith. They remained stuck on a purely intellectual level, and, thus, the idea of eating the Flesh and Blood of the Son of God was more than they could comprehend. So who could accept such a statement? Only those who listen to our Lord as He speaks to them interiorly. It is only that interior conviction that comes from God that can be proof of the truthfulness of the Holy Eucharist.
Do you believe that when you consume that which appears to be only “bread and wine,” you are actually consuming Christ Himself? Do you understand this teaching of our Lord on the Bread of Life? It is a hard saying and a difficult teaching, which is why it must be taken very seriously. For those who do not flat out reject this teaching, there is also the temptation to be somewhat indifferent to the teaching. It can easily be misunderstood to be just symbolism in the way our Lord talks. But the symbolism is much more than just symbolism. It’s a profound, challenging, and life-changing teaching of how we share in the divine and eternal life our Lord wishes to bestow upon us.
Reflect, today, upon how deeply you believe this hard saying of Jesus. The fact that it is a “hard” saying should make you seriously examine your own faith or lack thereof. What Jesus teaches is life-changing. It’s life-giving. And when clearly understood, you will be challenged to either believe with your whole heart or turn away in disbelief. Allow yourself to believe in the Most Holy Eucharist with your whole heart and you will find that you are believing one of the most profound Mysteries of Faith.
My glorious Lord, Your teaching on the Most Holy Eucharist is beyond human comprehension. It is a mystery so deep that we will never fully understand this precious gift. Open my eyes, dear Lord, and speak to my mind so that I may listen to Your words and respond with the deepest faith. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. This Saying is Hard: At the beginning of today’s Gospel passage, we hear about the disciples who grumbled against Jesus’ teaching about himself as the Bread of Life and the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. They refused Jesus’ invitation to Eucharistic conversion. Instead of embracing the newness of life and the gift of the Eucharist, many of Jesus’ disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. “They returned to a way of life without Jesus. They chose his absence rather than his presence in their lives. Instead of accompanying him, they walked alone. Their rejection of the gift of Jesus’ word, body, and blood meant they would not walk with him. And neither could he send them on mission” (Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Homily at the U.S. National Eucharistic Congress, July 24, 2024).
1. Doing the Works Jesus Did: Jesus promises that those who believe in him will do the works that he accomplished (John 14:12). In today’s Gospel, Peter includes himself in the group of those who have come to believe in Jesus as the Holy One of God, and, in the First Reading, we see Peter accomplish the works of Jesus Christ. During his public ministry, Jesus restored at least three people to life: Jarius’ daughter (Matthew 9:24-25; Mark 5:40-42; Luke 8:49-56), the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17), and his friend Lazarus (John 11:1-44). These miracles and signs are all invitations to faith. Jesus tells Jairus: “Do not be afraid; only have faith” (Mark 5:36; Luke 8:50); he tells his disciples: “Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe" (John 11:15); and he asks Lazarus' sister Mary: "Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:26). Jesus' miracles attest that the Father has sent him. They invite belief in him. “By freeing some individuals from the earthly evils of hunger in justice, illness, and death, Jesus performed Messianic signs” (CCC, 549). Peter has experienced Christ and seen his works and, through an act of faith, enters more deeply into communion with Jesus and with the Father. His confession today at Capernaum, “You are the Holy One of God,” parallels his confession at Caesarea Philippi, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16).
