In the past I have stated that, among the Apostles and the Saints in general, there is no one who can put his own foot in his mouth quite like St. Peter. We saw that fact multiple times last year when the liturgical year moved us through Matthew’s Gospel. At the same time on the opposite side of the coin, when Peter gets it right, he truly hits the proverbial nail on the head and this Sunday’s Gospel, the culmination of the Bread of Life Discourse in John 6, demonstrates that.
The crowd has heard enough. John records them as stating “this saying is hard, who can accept it (6:60)?” Throughout John 6, Jesus has told the crowd exactly who he is: the Bread of Life come down from heaven. He is God and Son of God. He is the invitation of the Father to share in the divine life by feeding on him, literally. And this Sunday we hear the truth from our Lord’s mouth that the flesh, that is the world, is of no avail, and the only true life is that which comes from the Spirit. “This saying is hard,” the crowd says; maybe hard to understand but also hard to accept because if it is true then they the crowd...and us…must by virtue of who Jesus Christ is conform our lives to him.
The crowd has heard enough, and they begin to leave him; not just those who have had their interest recently piqued because of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes but others who have been disciples of the Lord up to this moment. In the midst of the crowd’s abandonment of Jesus, the Lord turns to Peter and the rest of the twelve and asks “do you also want to leave?” Peter responds “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (6: 67-68).” To whom shall we go? Peter’s question is rhetorical, born of a growing faith; for many in our community, our parish, our families, perhaps even ourselves, the question is real and must be asked. In all things, in joy and sorrow, we must turn to Jesus Christ.
Jesus is not a guru or self-help guide, nor is he a stand-in for Santa Claus. He is not a slick preacher promising earthly prosperity, and he is certainly not the author of the gospel of nice. Jesus Christ is Lord and savior of the world. He is both God and Son of God who is inviting each of us, you and me, into a real relationship with him. He wants to be our hope and our peace and, most importantly, Jesus offers us the gift of eternal life, none of which the world can give us.
Like any relationship, we have to bring something of ourselves if the relationship is going to be fruitful. This means that we have to have lives open to him and that necessitates the need for daily conversion. Yes, the call of Christ can be hard to answer because it runs counter to the world’s ways, but is the world going to offer us anything better? And when the world turns on us, as it is bound to do, where will we turn? To whom shall we go?
Cougar Kickoff – Thank you
Many thanks to our CTK Men’s Club and for all who helped to make this year’s Cougar Kickoff a wonderful evening. Saturday night preceded a great opening of the new school year this past Monday. May the Holy Spirit continue to bless, guide, and protect all students, teachers, and school staff throughout this academic year.
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House