Cycle B, Year II
26 August 2012: 21st Sunday in
Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)
John 6:60-69
It's time to make a choice!
The evangelist John is known for his expanded discourses in his Gospel that use various symbolisms or images to reveal who Jesus is.
If we remember for several Sundays our Gospel readings were from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, from the working of the sign of the feeding of the five thousand. Then Jesus began his life-giving teachings as he spoke of himself as the "Bread of Life". In later verses, Jesus began to speak of people eating his flesh and drinking his blood, in a clear allusion to the Eucharist.
The followers of Jesus were said to be struggling with his teaching, and particularly his teaching about the Eucharist was difficult to some of his followers to accept.
The Gospel for this Sunday is the end of his discourse on himself as the "Bread of Life", or the closing of John's chapter six. Now Jesus confronts his followers to make a choice. Either they believe him and ask for this "Bread of Life" or reject his claim as preposterous. Sadly, many of his followers found his teaching on himself difficult to accept. They returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
Here we immediately see a contrast or difference between the followers of Jesus and the chosen Twelve. It is the Twelve who are then challenged by Jesus: "Do you also want to leave?" The response of Peter comes in a firm commitment to Jesus:
"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." (Jn 6:68-69)
Perhaps we can understand the perplexity of the ordinary followers of Jesus, but for the Twelve, who have been with Jesus throughout the ministry greater insight and greater fidelity is expected. But again the Twelve were themselves ordinary people and no learned minds. We can assume that they themselves did not really understand what Jesus was saying. But they chose to believe with their hearts because of their personal experience of him, rather than what their intellect could comprehend. And so the speech of Peter is his profession of faith on behalf of the others of the chosen Twelve.
Today Jesus also gives us the same freedom to make a choice. In our era when there is much noise, where media speaks to us all all day long, we as Christians must be able to distinguish the voice of God among the many voices that are speaking. Do we listen to Jesus with our heart as he speaks to us the Good News, or we accept only what is comprehensible with our mind? Do we believe in Jesus through the teaching of his Church, or we prefer the easy way of following only what is convenient and pleasurable to us? In other words, do we change the teaching of God with the teaching of men?
The Church invites us to constantly assess the depth of our belief-commitment. We judge our belief not on what we say or think but on what we do. We need a deeper experience of Jesus to trust in his teaching. Because we believe that Jesus has the words of eternal life.
So today we are challenged to follow Peter in his profession of faith in Jesus as the Bread of Life who alone can give us eternal life. It's time to make our choice!
A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.
(Liturgical color: Green)
John 6:60-69
It's time to make a choice!
The evangelist John is known for his expanded discourses in his Gospel that use various symbolisms or images to reveal who Jesus is.
If we remember for several Sundays our Gospel readings were from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, from the working of the sign of the feeding of the five thousand. Then Jesus began his life-giving teachings as he spoke of himself as the "Bread of Life". In later verses, Jesus began to speak of people eating his flesh and drinking his blood, in a clear allusion to the Eucharist.
The followers of Jesus were said to be struggling with his teaching, and particularly his teaching about the Eucharist was difficult to some of his followers to accept.
The Gospel for this Sunday is the end of his discourse on himself as the "Bread of Life", or the closing of John's chapter six. Now Jesus confronts his followers to make a choice. Either they believe him and ask for this "Bread of Life" or reject his claim as preposterous. Sadly, many of his followers found his teaching on himself difficult to accept. They returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
Here we immediately see a contrast or difference between the followers of Jesus and the chosen Twelve. It is the Twelve who are then challenged by Jesus: "Do you also want to leave?" The response of Peter comes in a firm commitment to Jesus:
"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." (Jn 6:68-69)
Perhaps we can understand the perplexity of the ordinary followers of Jesus, but for the Twelve, who have been with Jesus throughout the ministry greater insight and greater fidelity is expected. But again the Twelve were themselves ordinary people and no learned minds. We can assume that they themselves did not really understand what Jesus was saying. But they chose to believe with their hearts because of their personal experience of him, rather than what their intellect could comprehend. And so the speech of Peter is his profession of faith on behalf of the others of the chosen Twelve.
Today Jesus also gives us the same freedom to make a choice. In our era when there is much noise, where media speaks to us all all day long, we as Christians must be able to distinguish the voice of God among the many voices that are speaking. Do we listen to Jesus with our heart as he speaks to us the Good News, or we accept only what is comprehensible with our mind? Do we believe in Jesus through the teaching of his Church, or we prefer the easy way of following only what is convenient and pleasurable to us? In other words, do we change the teaching of God with the teaching of men?
The Church invites us to constantly assess the depth of our belief-commitment. We judge our belief not on what we say or think but on what we do. We need a deeper experience of Jesus to trust in his teaching. Because we believe that Jesus has the words of eternal life.
So today we are challenged to follow Peter in his profession of faith in Jesus as the Bread of Life who alone can give us eternal life. It's time to make our choice!
A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.
Deo Optimo Maximo
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