The Third Saturday of Easter

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.”

Believing in the gospel message is hard, but this shouldn’t shock us. Jesus’ teachings challenge us to live spiritual lives rather than worldly ones and because of this our more selfish instincts can rebel against the idea. We wonder why we cannot have it all and still remain a follower of Christ. However, God wants all of us, our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. He doesn’t want a divided heart. He gave himself completely for us and if we really want to be his disciples, then we must be willing to give up our lives for him, too.

What is the hardest thing about believing? How can we do a better job of trusting God in spite of our doubts and difficulties with our faith? Are we truly willing to give up the world in order to gain heaven?

O Lord, give us your Spirit so that we might live forever with you.

Amen.