Saturday April 24

Third Week OF Easter

 

LORD, TO WHOM SHALL WE GO TO?           

 

Introduction 

Once there was peace, the Church of the Risen Lord continued to grow throughout the Holy Land. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Peter continues the mission of Jesus: he speaks, he heals, he raises to life.

In the Gospel, many disciples are disappointed with Jesus. They had expected another kind of Messiah, one who led his disciples, not one who served them and would give them his flesh to eat; how could he do that anyway? Many people, including a good number of disciples, turned away from Jesus. Those who stay are perhaps not too sure what to think and do. So, Jesus confronts the apostles, “What about you?” Peter answers: “Lord, to whom shall we go to?” Yes, to whom shall we go?

 

Opening Prayer

Faithful God of the covenant,
in the daily choices we have to make,
give us the courage to opt always
for your Son and his ways
and to remain close to him.
Bless the difficult road we sometimes have to take
without seeing where it will lead us.
Keep us from making half-hearted decisions
when our faith is rather weak
and make us accept all the consequences of our choice.
Keep us always faithful
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Reading 1: ACTS 9:31-42

The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
was at peace.
She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.

As Peter was passing through every region,
he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda.
There he found a man named Aeneas,
who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed.
Peter said to him,
“Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed.”
He got up at once.
And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him,
and they turned to the Lord.

Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha
(which translated is Dorcas).
She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.
Now during those days she fell sick and died,
so after washing her, they laid her out in a room upstairs.
Since Lydda was near Joppa,
the disciples, hearing that Peter was there,
sent two men to him with the request,
“Please come to us without delay.”
So Peter got up and went with them.
When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs
where all the widows came to him weeping
and showing him the tunics and cloaks
that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed.
Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.”
She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.
He gave her his hand and raised her up,
and when he had called the holy ones and the widows,
he presented her alive.
This became known all over Joppa,
and many came to believe in the Lord.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

(12) How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.

 

Alleluia: JN 6:63C, 68C

Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel:  JN 6:60-69

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”

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?”
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.”

 

Intercessions

–   That the Gospel of the Lord may keep striking the ministers of the Church as an ever-new message, that they may proclaim it with conviction and warmth, we pray:

–   That those whom the Lord has called to serve him, in the priesthood or the religious life, may continue to give themselves in joy and faithfulness to God and people, we pray:

–   That those who find no purpose in life may discover a God to love and worship through the life of faith, hope and love they find in our Christian communities, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, our God,
the death of Jesus your Son, was the price
he had to pay for our freedom.
In these signs of bread and wine,
he gives himself again to us
as our food and drink of life.
In his strength, let us go his way to you and to people
as flesh and blood for others,
with faith and hope in your kingdom
that will stand, forever and ever.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord, our God,
in response to your invitation of love
we have chosen you through our godparents
as the God of our lives.
In the strength of this Eucharist
help us to renew day after day
this commitment to you and to your kingdom.
Let your Son build up with us
a community of peace and service,
and when it is slow in coming
reassure us that in your own good time,
the seed will bear fruit and grow forever.

 

Blessing

We have made our choice for God when we received baptism. There, through our godparents, we opted for God. Let our life never contradict this option but strengthen it, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

We are at the end of Jesus’ discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum. The Jews, who have gone behind him after seeing the sign of the multiplication of bread, are now faced with a staggering proposal: to welcome him as the bread which came down from heaven. They have to make a choice whose stakes are high: to continue to live as they have done so far, adapting themselves to the wisdom of this world or make a total change to accept his gospel, which is the bread of life. If receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus call for a total giving one’s life for Christ, who would ever dare to receive it?

Majority of the disciples who saw the signs and followed him, but now turn back. It’s too “hard,” they say.. Uniting one’s life to Jesus, choosing to give one’s life, involves too great a risk. “After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed him”, says the Gospel.

Such disciples are present even today in our communities. They are not bad and should not be considered traitors. They realized that the demand is too hard and decided to walk away. Jesus respects their freedom, does not force anyone to “eat his flesh.”

Jesus keeps the option open even to his apostles: “Will you also go away?” Although do not fully understand what is involved in adhering to him, Peter, expresses the faith of all and says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

It is such a profession of faith that Christ expects of us today. The question remains hanging: “Who can ever feel worthy to approach the Eucharistic banquet? Who can be so daring and willing to sacrifice one’s life with Jesus?”

If the Eucharist were a reward for the righteous, certainly no one would dare to receive it. But Jesus offers his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins of those who believe: it is the food offered to the pilgrim people—sinners, weak, tired, in need of help on earth.
In the account of the institution of the Eucharist in the Gospel according to Matthew, when he offers the cup of wine to his disciples Jesus says: “Drink this, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”.

Eucharist is not a celebration of our purity and holiness, rather it is the source of forgiveness of sins and means of transforming us into “alter Christus” – another Christ.