This saying is hard; who can accept it?

Greetings on this the Saturday of the Third Week of Easter
Readings: Acts 9:31-42; PS 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17; Jn 6:60-69
Notes:

This saying is hard; who can accept it?
What is hard?

From our first reading:

1. Peter healing Aeneas from paralysis in the witness of all Lydda and Sharon?
2. Peter healing Tabitha from death in the witness of the holy ones and the widows?
3. Peter does not possess these powers of himself but in the Name of Jesus.

From the gospel portion yesterday:
They quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you (Jn 6:52-53).

From the gospel portion today:
This saying is hard; who can accept it?

1. Does this shock you?
2. Do you also want to leave?
3. See the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? (Which is fact happened at Ascension, thus fulfilled prophecy).

When we doubt divine love, we doubt a love completely self-giving.

St Paul introduced this quandary this way:
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Rom 5:7-8).

Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse is BEFORE the crucifixion and Resurrection.
For Peter, and the Twelve, We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God. They did not yet understand but trusted him because of his person and his signs (faith and works).

This perpetual institution, Holy Eucharist, is total self-giving.

First reading
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.

Responsorial Psalm
How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?

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.

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

Gospel Portion
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.”

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?

For us, who consider all these things, I say:

The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry