Consoling Presence

Today’s Gospel Text:  On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." John 20:19-23

Reflection: The consoling words of a loved one is always a great blessing and can have a great  transforming effect in our lives, especially from the immediate impediments, or the trial and troubles of life.

What is much more beautiful is; when we close our doors to others, especially to those who are sincerely interested in our well being and in spite of the closed door they still sneak in to reach out to us.

This is what Jesus has done to the dedicated Disciples, who in their moment of fears, especially of the Jews, close the door for anyone to enter in and allow themselves to be reached out to.

Yet Jesus still comes to them and reaches out to them with the sure hope of life: “Peace be with you”.

It is a passage which should constantly speak to each one of us, in our hearts, that Christ Jesus our Lord is with us right from the beginning, even during the first day of the week, with his presence.

No matter what trials or troubles we may go through, whether it concerns the trials of temptations in which we are often angry with ourselves, or with others, the guilt or the shame of life, in such situations we may often want to keep the door our hearts closed and would prefer to cry over it alone in order to resolve the issue.

Jesus can reach out to us even if we are locked within the four walls of a room with no windows or doors but the important question remains:

Will we recognize his presence and allow him to proclaim that peace that is able to save us? 

In other words; when he proclaims the peace will we believe that he will be able to bring about a change in the situation.

His peace is what we need to hold on to, at any cost! 

If we believe than nothing is impossible with God and even if the God of all possibilities may not act the way we would want him to act nevertheless he will have a better offer to give us in himself.

Prayer:  When I thought, "My foot slips,"thy steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, thy consolations cheer my soul. Ps 94:18-19

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Life

Scripture/Bible:  The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." 59 This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper'na-um. John 6:52-59

Reflection:  Who among you would want to drink human blood and eat human flesh? The very thought of having it can send us into a tizzy.

Surely, the focus of the discussion is on the eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood of Jesus and the proposal seems impossible.

But on the other hand, who would daringly assert that people should eat his flesh and drink his blood, with such boldness and confidence as Jesus.  Surely, it is a mission that he had come to accomplish, the mission to give his very own life to us who were dead in our sins.

What does that death mean? It means a sure hope for our constant but losing battle against sickness, calamities, diseases, sinful weaknesses, the daily stress of life, the bitterness and pain of life.

He came also to take the away the fear, the unrest, the anxiety that surrounds us due to the absence of life in us.

His flesh is the sure healing and his blood brings life into our mortal bodies. You need to see it to believe it and believe it to experience it and experience it in order to proclaim it.  

Prayer:  Lord, as I receive your Body and blood, may I be filled with every grace and blessings to face the challenges of life, with your life reigning in me.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us