April 23, 2015 Thursday: 3rd Week in Easter
April 23, 2015 Thursday: 3rd Week in Easter
An old lady was being wheeled into the operating room. Visibly nervous, she blurted out: “Doctor, please be gentle with me. This is my first time to be operated on.”
The youthful surgeon glanced at her and said: “Don’t worry, madam. This is also my first time to do an operation.” I don’t know if the lady survived.
Anyway, when a doctor tells you that your operation will be successful, even if it’s his first time to do it and you believe although you don’t know how he will do it, that’s faith.
Similarly in today’s gospel, Christ asks us to believe in the Eucharist, even though we don’t understand how His Body can become our life-giving food and His Blood our nourishing drink.
It is not surprising why the cynical Jews grumbled: “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:5). Cannibalism, one might say today.
God’s word goes beyond the mystery of the Eucharist. In everyday life, we’re also asked to have faith, to accept God’s will, hard and bitter though it is to swallow or understand sometimes.
It can be the untimely death of a loved one, an incurable sickness, an undeserved suffering, say, of children from estranged or separated parents; you may complain: “”Why do I experience all these setbacks and trials? It’s unfair when I’ve been trying to be good.”
When these situations arise, can we hold on? Can we still believe that there’s a good and loving God.
Ultimately, we are asked to believe, to put our trust in Christ. Like Peter and the apostles, we say: “Lord, to whom shall we go; you have the words of eternal life.”
(Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD Bible Diary 2004)
The youthful surgeon glanced at her and said: “Don’t worry, madam. This is also my first time to do an operation.” I don’t know if the lady survived.
Anyway, when a doctor tells you that your operation will be successful, even if it’s his first time to do it and you believe although you don’t know how he will do it, that’s faith.
Similarly in today’s gospel, Christ asks us to believe in the Eucharist, even though we don’t understand how His Body can become our life-giving food and His Blood our nourishing drink.
It is not surprising why the cynical Jews grumbled: “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:5). Cannibalism, one might say today.
God’s word goes beyond the mystery of the Eucharist. In everyday life, we’re also asked to have faith, to accept God’s will, hard and bitter though it is to swallow or understand sometimes.
It can be the untimely death of a loved one, an incurable sickness, an undeserved suffering, say, of children from estranged or separated parents; you may complain: “”Why do I experience all these setbacks and trials? It’s unfair when I’ve been trying to be good.”
When these situations arise, can we hold on? Can we still believe that there’s a good and loving God.
Ultimately, we are asked to believe, to put our trust in Christ. Like Peter and the apostles, we say: “Lord, to whom shall we go; you have the words of eternal life.”
(Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD Bible Diary 2004)
