A Reflection for Monday of the Third Week of Easter
Find today's readings here.
A little more than a year ago, I had the privilege of joining a group on one of America’s pilgrimages in the Holy Land. It was an extraordinary experience for a host of reasons and one that feels even more precious, given the catastrophic suffering and unrest in the area right now.
To be in the physical places where Jesus and his disciples lived, worked and taught was powerful because it helped bring the wonder of the Gospels to life. As I stood on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, I thought about how Jesus had been on those very same shores, looking over the calm waters and watching the mustard seed plants sway in the breeze. It was deeply humbling and quite overwhelming as I could simultaneously feel both Christ’s humanity and his divinity.
Today’s Gospel reading brought me right back to those places and that sentiment. In the Scripture, Jesus comments that his followers seem to be attracted to the tangible, human aspects of Christ’s gifts,“loaves,” or “food that perishes”, but they should actually seek his divine gifts,“the food that endures for eternal life”. That is quite a charge because it is so much harder, with our mortal hearts and heads, to consider beyond the very human aspects of Jesus’s life so that we can fully embrace his divinity and what it means for us.
Several weeks ago, at our Easter celebration, we recognized that while Christ’s humanity and divinity are so very connected, it is his holiness that provides the salvation and grace that are gifts to each of us. For me, these Easter sentiments are reiterated in today’s Gospel and leave me inspired to seek, trust, accept and believe in the full Glory of God. I hope the same for you.
