GOSPEL THOUGHTS
16th Week – Saturday
Gospel – Matthew 20: 20-28
Drinking of the Chalice"
how to understand this?
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?
1) The context of the Chalice
Jesus uses this word when He speaks about His passion, death and
Resurrection
My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet
not as I will, but as you will.” Luke 22:39
Here Chalice/Cup is referred in the context of Jesus' suffering
in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to
them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. Matthew 26:27
In the Last supper Jesus is mentioning of the drinking of the
cup in the context of His passion and death on the Cross
So Chalice is
refers to the following
- Sufferings of Jesus
- Death of Jesus
- Rejection of jesus
- Struggles of Jesus
- Cross of Jesus
- Way of the Cross
- Persecution for the sake of the Word
- Crucifixion of Jesus
All the has a direct connection to the concept of Chalice
2) Drinking of the Chalice is very Important
Now the act of *Drinking*
is very important
Jesus did not say take the chalice or cup and see or keep it
with you
Jesus clearly says that we need to drink the Chalice
"Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
Matthew 20:22
3) Deeper meaning of the *Drinking of the Chalice*
Now the *Drinking the
Chalice* has a very deep meaning
When we drink something it goes into our system or body
It becomes one with the body
It creates some kind of energy in our body
It becomes one with the body and we are directly influenced by
the same
When Jesus says that the Chalice which I am going to drink,
Jesus means that those above mentioned challenges have become one with the
person
They are the integral part of His mission
Without drinking this cup, the mission becomes incomplete
With going through these challenges or without becoming these
challenges as the part of His life, mission will be incomplete
4) So, am I ready to drink this Chalice
It means am I ready to become one with the Cross. Am I ready to
accept the cross and its challenges
Am I ready to digest the challenges of the Kingdom of God
We need to drink the suffering, Cross, Humiliations, Rejection,
Forgiveness, love of the enemies
Drinking from the chalice has a direct effect on the body. Like
wise drinking the challenges of Jesus and the Cross should have direct effect
on our life.
Drinking from the chalice, directly goes inside the body and it
works on the body
Like wise drinking the values, challenges, should go inside our
mind, heart and to the Soul. Only then it will create a real conversion of
Life
5) We drink Vine/Blood from the Chalice
Chalice is not for drinking soft drinks
It is not meant for drinking cold or hot water or any other
drink.
We use chalice During mass to drink the consecrated vine which
we believe is the blood of Jesus
The colour of the vine red and the colour of the blood also red
So drinking of the blood of Jesus from the chalice means,
drinking of the Cross, suffering and persecution for the sake of the
Kingdom
6) Drinking from the Chalice is not Easy
To drink blood is not all easy
It is difficult and at times challenging
Likewise drinking the Chalice of Christ is not all easy. It is
difficult and challenging.
So we need to understand the meaning of Chalice from this
context
7) Jesus' straight and
direct Question
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
Jesus is drinking the Chalice. No doubt about it
The question is, whether I am ready to drink the
chalice
There is no force from Jesus. But only a simple request. 'Can u drink"
Jesus is asking what Jesus Himself is doing. He is not asking
what he has not gone through. So Jesus have the first hand experience of
drinking the Chalice
*Now the question is Am I ready to drink the Chalice*
God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones.
Fr Maxim D’Souza
Jeppu Seminary
Mangalore
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