Saturday of the Third Week of Easter
At times in our lives, we might wonder what the greater plan behind our difficulties is, or we might feel challenged by what God wants us to do in the future or by some teaching that the Church proclaims. Although this state is natural, the Gospel and the testimony of the Easter season today give us courage to cling fast to Christ Jesus.
When Jesus finishes his important Bread of Life discourse, the disciples find themselves challenged and confused. They even tell Jesus, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”. But, in response, Jesus does not back away from his claims. Rather he asks them a question, “What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?”. In other words, Jesus seems to be saying: “What if you were to see the whole picture from the beginning of my mission from the Father to the end of my return to the Father?” In this moment of confusion, Jesus asks his disciples to trust him because he knows the larger plan. Of course, to us now after the Last Supper, the Passion, and the Resurrection, Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse may make more sense. But, at that time for the disciples, things may not have been as clear; so, Jesus invites them to trust in God’s vision of the larger plan.
Similarly, whenever we find ourselves confused about some difficulty in our lives or we are struggling with some teaching of the Christian faith, Jesus invites us into that trusting surrender to the greater vision of God. After all, God knows the good plans that he has for us. He knows our crosses as well as the Easter resurrections that will follow. In the moment, we might not be able to glimpse how all the pieces fit together in the divine plan for our lives, but we do know that God will bring everything together beautifully. Therefore, with a loving confidence, we can respond to Jesus just as St. Peter said, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”