Holding on to our Faith in Christ

HOMILY: Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

John 6:60-69 

22 August 2021

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA

Are you happy to be Catholic? I know of someone who says that if he were not born in a predominantly Catholic country he would probably have been Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist.  He often says this when he feels his Catholic Christian faith demands too much of him. He forgets that in any faith or religion, the faithful are expected to follow certain rules, live up to certain expectations and accept the consequences of disobeying their norms and failing to meet their standards.  

Both the First Reading and the Gospel from John call upon people to make a decision as to whom to serve. In today’s gospel Jesus’ followers are led to the threshold of deciding whether to accept or reject who Jesus claims Himself to be — the Bread of Life of whom all who partake will truly live. It is interesting that those who complain about Jesus’ words are not the hostile Jewish crowd but Jesus’ own disciples. “This saying is hard, who can accept it.” (John 6:60) This leads Jesus to give the remaining disciples the option “to remain with Him” or “to leave Him”. Jesus says: “Does this shock you?” (John 6:61) They are made to choose whether to accept the hard saying or not. Will they stay with Jesus or not? This same dilemma is faced by the tribes of Israel in Shechem in the First Reading. Joshua addresses them saying: “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve…” (Joshua 24:15)

The choice that confronts both the Israelites and the disciples in both the First Reading and the Gospel is the same choice that we face every single day of our lives as Christians. It always boils down to our choice!!! Will we accept the hard saying and choose to be faithful to God? Can we say with conviction: “Therefore, we will also serve the Lord, for he is our God.” (Joshua 24:18) or as the Gospel concludes: “We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:69)? Can we profess our faith and fidelity to Jesus or are we going to fall away like the rest of the disciples and choose to leave Him instead?     

One’s firm commitment to Christ is reflected in the self-sacrificing love required of husbands towards their wives in marriage admonished by St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians. (Ephesians 5:21-32) Just as this  spousal commitment draws inspiration from how Christ has loved the Church enough to give His life for her, so should our resolve be to follow Christ fully, wholeheartedly, unreservedly. As all marriages require a lot of sacrifice and dying to one’s self, we must also be prepared to bear difficulties when we choose to follow Jesus. 

Choosing to stay with Jesus is not without cost, despite the promise of eternal life. We need a great deal of faith because the demands of discipleship are oftentimes great and overwhelming for us.  The fact that we are drawn to Jesus is a gift from God the Father. Jesus says “… I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” (John 6:65) If we dismiss this grace or fail to acknowledge it, our human weakness may tear us from Jesus’ side. The gospel recounts “…many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”  (John 6:66) This is clearly not something to aspire for, given that discipleship is a call to wholeheartedly live the Gospel at whatever cost. We are encouraged to make an effort to please God in the way we live our lives at all times. We can show our fidelity to Him by striving to live uprightly and by upholding the rights of all especially those who have been wronged and those who have been treated unjustly in our midst.  

There are Catholic nuns in Afghanistan who gave up their freedom and their safety by choosing to remain in the Taliban controlled country to minister to the Afghan children in their care.  They run a free day car centre that serves children with mental disabilities and they offer scholarship programs to help young Afghan women study. These nuns have chosen to stay despite the threat to their lives. In an interview by the Italian magazine Mondo e Misione, two of these sisters said that were very worried about the near future. “Our families are worried about us: every time they see the image of some attack on TV they fear for our safety. But we sleep peacefully, here we have many friends and for the rest we entrust ourselves to God.”  I personally fear for them but I am humbled by their commitment to their mission to serve the Lord in the person of children in need. 

There may be times – and they can be painful experiences – when we would have to reject even those closest to us who want us to join them in behaviour, that is harmful, unjust or unloving to others. How does one claim to follow Jesus, support family members or close affiliates who cheat in business, those who take advantage of others or those who disregard other people’s rights just to get what they want?  People in calamity stricken Haiti are so desperate for supplies that some have savagely looted Aid trucks to provide for their loved ones at the expense of other members of their community. If one is truly a follower of Jesus, one cannot condone such selfish and desperate acts. The end simply does not justify the means. Perhaps, in moments like this, we must stand firm and consider the exercise of fraternal correction.  Showing concern for their spiritual/moral wellbeing by gently opposing any immoral behaviour is the more charitable act. 

Jesus committed to pay the high price in faithfulness to His great love for us. For this valuable sacrifice, God the Father gives meaning to a person’s commitment to remain with His Son, Jesus! As Christians, we have a great example in Jesus of how to be true to the new covenant with God. Let us pray for courage that we may keep our fidelity to the God we serve, love, and follow. May we be happy to be Catholic, strong and steadfast in our faith in God despite the odds. Like Simon Peter may we always find ourselves saying with conviction: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)