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Gospel Reflection – Saturday, May 10, 2025
A few Sundays ago, after Mass, one of the people who had attended told me that Jesus hadn’t made it easy for us that day. The Gospel had strongly repeated the command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. That man had taken the Gospel seriously and realized that Jesus—the Word of God—was giving us a huge challenge. To receive Communion with Jesus is also to receive communion with His Word. And for him, living out that commitment from the Eucharist was not easy at all.
Because receiving Communion is a very serious thing. And the same goes for going to Mass—or better said, for participating in the Eucharist. We shouldn’t go to Mass just as a religious duty or to say a few prayers. We go to participate, to listen to the Word, and to share the Bread of Life, who is Jesus Himself. The Mass challenges us, commits us, and calls us to live differently. And that’s not always easy.
Something similar happened to the disciples after hearing Jesus’ teachings in the Gospel readings we’ve heard over the past days. Today’s Gospel shows three key moments: First, the disciples say that Jesus’ teaching is hard and demanding. Second, many of them turn back and stop following Him. Third, Peter says: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Not everyone left. Some, even though they knew they were weak and limited, chose to stay. Thanks to them, we are here today. Despite their doubts and struggles, they stayed with Jesus and became messengers of the Kingdom.
Now it’s our turn to ask ourselves: which group do we belong to? Like every decision of faith, it’s a personal choice—and it comes with risk. But from now on, each time we go to Mass, we must know what we are committing to. We are called to give our all—to try to live in a way that’s faithful to our belief. Now we truly understand what it means to receive Communion with Jesus.