Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 7, 2022
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.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”
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.”
St. Thomas Aquinas commented that Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse—the sermon the disciples are referencing in today’s gospel—might be difficult for us in two ways. It is hard because we cannot grasp it intellectually or because we cannot conform our wills to it.
How often do we find ourselves struggling to understand or follow a particular teaching of the church? Do we find the truths of the faith so difficult to follow that we abandon them, retreating to our “former way of life?” Or, maybe we don’t wish to withdraw, but we are left wondering what to do.
St. Pope John Paul II suggests a path forward: We ought to rely on faith and reason—the “two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” As beautiful and encouraging as this sounds, this too, can be hard.
My wife and I have not been married long. Yet for what feels like a lifetime and for unknown reasons, our prayers for a child have been answered by God with “not yet.”
We have sought to understand the church’s teachings about marriage and family. Their beauty and coherence testify to the truth of what we have learned and live. And our nieces and nephews—both biological and adoptive—are ready reminders of the fullness of the church’s teaching that children are a gift, not an object to which we can claim a right. Yet we struggle to conform our wills to God’s will for us.
Our hope vacillates. Our energy wanes. Our prayer falters.
No matter how much we have struggled, my wife and I know that in joy and grief, our comfort comes when our faith and intellect produce the trust Peter exhibits today: “You have the words of eternal life… We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
Prayer
Ancient and Holy One, you never fail to teach us through the mystery of your grace acting in our midst. You beckon all who hear your voice to go out into all the world and proclaim the good news in everything we say and do. Give your people strength and perseverance through communion with our source of life, Christ your Son. May his eternal life dwell within us and bring us at last into your peaceful presence. We ask this in your holy name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Rose Venerini followed God's voice, which was speaking to her in the circumstances of her life, and changed the lives of many people through her gifts as an educator.
She was born in 1656 in Viterbo, Italy. When she came of age, she was engaged to a young man, but he died suddenly. She decided to enter the convent, but only stayed there for a few months—her father had died, and she was needed at home to help her mother.
During this time at home, she gathered women from the neighborhood in her house to pray the rosary. She was struck by how little these women knew of their faith, so she began to instruct them. She still had hopes of entering a convent to spend her life in seclusion and prayer, but her spiritual director, who saw her work with the women in the prayer group, encouraged her to explore a vocation in the world as a teacher.
With two others, Rose opened a free school for girls in 1685, and it was a success. She quickly became known for her insights into education, and was invited by a cardinal in the area to give advice on the administration of schools in the diocese and to help train teachers.
Rose was known for her persuasive ways of speaking, and for her responsiveness to any situation. She went on to found more schools, though sometimes she faced fierce resistance. In one instance, opponents shot arrows at teachers and burned their house down. Still, she persevered with patience and trust. At the time of her death, 40 schools were under her direction.
After her death, many of the lay teachers who worked in her schools gathered into a religious community, called the Venerini sisters, who worked with Italian immigrants in the U.S.
St. Rose mentored another educational matriarch in Italy, St. Lucy Filippini, whose relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. St. Rose was canonized in 2006.
St. Rose Venerini, you turned away both the convent and marriage to transform schools—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Rose Venerini is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed March 6, 2025.