Many of Jesus' disciples 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 accompanied 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."

Spiritual Reflection: In today’s Gospel we see people walk away from Jesus because they could not accept His teaching. It must have been hard for Jesus to respect their free will. It also must have been joyful for Him, when the Apostles stayed.

Spiritual Questions:

1. Why does God respect human free will?
2. Do you think it hurts God when we reject him?
3. How can we respect other’s free will better?
4. How can we affirm our faith in God?
5. What do we do when we struggle in our faith?