JOHN 6:60-69
I'M SURE SOME OF YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
MASONIC ORDER. THEY STARTED A LONG TIME AGO AS A SECRET SOCIETY
WHICH OPPOSED THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND EVENTUALLY BECAME A SOCIAL
ORGANIZATION HERE IN THE US. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP I THOUGHT THAT IF
YOU WERE A PROTESTANT YOU JOINED THE MASONS, AND IF YOU WERE CATHOLIC
IT WAS THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. IN OUR TOWN MANY OF MY DAD'S
NON-CATHOLIC FRIENDS WERE MASONS. I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT THIS NOT
LONG AGO WHEN I WAS SPEAKING TO A FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS A FAIRLY
OBSERVANT JEW. HE IS ALSO A MASON, AND HE TOLD ME THAT IN THE 1950'S
THERE WERE MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION MASONS IN THE US. NOW THERE ARE
ABOUT 300,000. TO BE A MASON YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME VERY SERIOUS
PROMISES, OATHS REALLY. MY FRIEND THINKS THAT THE TREMENDOUS DROP IN
MEMBERSHIP IS BECAUSE MODERN PEOPLE CANNOT COMMIT. HE'S PROBABLY
RIGHT.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO MUCH TO BE A
PRACTICING CATHOLIC. THE CHURCH EVEN LAID OUT THE MINIMUM
REQUIREMENTS A LONG TIME AGO. ATTEND MASS ON SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAYS
OF OBLIGATION, YEARLY RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION, RECEIVE THE
SACRAMENT OF PENANCE ONCE A YEAR IF YOU ARE IN THE STATE OF MORTAL
SIN, AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUPPORT OF THE CHURCH, FAST AND ABSTAIN ON
THE DAYS DESIGNATED BY THE CHURCH. BUT AS EASY AS THESE ARE, WE ARE
LOSING MEMBERS AS WELL; FOR EVERY ADULT WHO CONVERTS TO THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH FIVE DROP OUT OF ACTIVE PRACTICE; SOME JOIN OTHER FAITHS BUT
MOST JUST BECOME NOTHING.
A LOT OF OUR PROTESTANT BROTHERS AND
SISTERS LOOK AT THE GOSPEL WE READ TODAY AND SAY, “LOOK, JESUS
DIDN'T REALLY MEAN THAT STUFF ABOUT EATING HIS BODY AND DRINKING HIS
BLOOD; HE SAYS RIGHT HERE THAT IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT GIVES LIFE AND
THE FLESH IS OF NO AVAIL. BUT I DON'T THINK ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO
TURNED AWAY AND WENT BACK TO THEIR FORMER LIVES THOUGHT THAT. IF
THEY HAD, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE LEFT. NO, THEY LEFT BECAUSE THEY KNEW
JESUS WAS NOT BACKING DOWN.
CONSIDER – HE SAYS TO THEM, “DOES
THIS SHOCK YOU? WHAT IF YOU WERE TO SEE THE SON OF MAN ASCENDING TO
WHERE HE WAS BEFORE?” CLEARLY, HE IS CHALLENGING THEM – WHAT IF
YOU SAW ME RISE INTO THE HEAVENS, WOULD YOU BELIEVE MY WORDS THEN?
AND HE GOES ON TO SAY THAT IT TAKES AN ACT OF THE FATHER FOR SOMEONE
TO COME TO HIM. AND JESUS CLEARLY SAID IN THE PREVIOUS PASSAGES THAT
IF YOU WANTED TO HAVE LIFE, YOU HAD TO EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS
BLOOD; AND NOW HE SAYS THAT THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE, THE FLESH IS OF
NO AVAIL. IF WE ARE TO BENEFIT FROM EATING HIS BODY AND DRINKING HIS
BLOOD, THE SPIRIT NEEDS TO ACT UPON US.
THE GREAT THING, THOUGH, IS THAT WE
HAVE ALREADY BEEN CALLED BY THE FATHER; THAT'S BAPTISM. AND WE HAVE
ALREADY BEEN GIVEN THE SPIRIT; THAT'S CONFIRMATION. SO WE HAVE
ACCESS TO ETERNAL LIFE; IT'S OURS FOR THE TAKING.
SOMETIMES WE MAKE THINGS WAY TOO
COMPLICATED. IN THE SIMPLEST TERMS, GOD LOVES US, SO HE GIVES US HIS
SON TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO BECOME ONE WITH GOD. ALL THE
THEOLOGY, ALL THE RULES, ALL THE PRACTICES OF DEVOTION WE PARTICIPATE
IN, EVEN OUR DEVOTION TO MARY, ARE ALL JUST WAYS FOR US TO DRAW
CLOSER TO THE SON, TO JESUS.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE APOSTLES
RECOGNIZED AT THIS MOMENT. JESUS SAYS, “DO YOU ALSO WANT TO
LEAVE?” AND PETER, SPEAKING FOR THEM ALL, REPLIES, “TO WHOM WOULD
WE GO? YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.”
PETER IS SAYING, “I DON'T PRETEND TO
UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING; I'M JUST A HUMAN BEING. BUT I'M PUTTING
EVERYTHING ON THE LINE. I'M CASTING MY LOT WITH YOU.”
AND PETER AND THE OTHERS WHO DID STICK
WITH HIM WITNESSED HIS RESURRECTION AND FROM THE STRENGTH OF THAT
WENT ON TO PREACH HIS GOSPEL TO ALL THE WORLD, EVEN TO THE POINT OF
THEIR OWN MARTYRDOMS.
I WAS PREACHING TO THE CHILDREN LAST
SUNDAY. WHEN I PREACH TO CHILDREN I GENERALLY ASK THEM QUESTIONS
AND TAKE MY CUES FROM THEIR ANSWERS. ONE LITTLE GUY SEEMS TO HAVE
GOTTEN THE MESSAGE. WHEN YOU ASK HIM A QUESTION HIS ANSWER IS
USUALLY “JESUS”. HE MAY NOT EVEN UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION, BUT HE
KNOWS THE ANSWER.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE APOSTLES
PREACHED AFTER THE RESURRECTION? IT'S RIGHT THERE IN THE ACTS OF THE
APOSTLES. THEY PREACHED THAT JESUS HAD COME TO EARTH, TAUGHT,
SUFFERED, DIED AND ROSE AGAIN. DO YOU KNOW WHAT PAUL PREACHED?
AFTER FAILING TO CONVERT THE ATHENIANS WITH LOGIC, HE SWORE THAT IN
THE FUTURE HE WOULD ONLY PREACH CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. THE
ANSWER IS JESUS, ALWAYS JESUS.
IF YOU AND I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE
CHURCH – AND I DO, AND YOU DO AS WELL, I'M SURE – THE ANSWER IS
NOT TO DROP OUT, TO FIND SOMETHING MORE TO OUR TASTE, WHETHER IT IS A
DIFFERENT FAITH OR A DIFFERENT PARISH. IF WE ARE DISTURBED BY
SCANDALS IN THE CHURCH OUR ANSWER IS NOT TO LEAVE. OUR CHURCH, FOR
ALL HER FAULTS, BRINGS US THE BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY OF
JESUS, THE SON OF GOD. OUR CHURCH FEEDS US WITH IS WORDS. OUR
CHURCH, RUN BY HUMAN BEINGS UNFORTUNATELY, STRUGGLES TO HELP US KNOW
THIS JESUS, WHO HAS THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.
THE EVIDENCE BEFORE US IS THAT MOST OF
US ARE UNWILLING TO COMMIT. CERTAINLY THOSE WHO DROP OUT OF ACTIVELY
PRACTICING THEIR FAITH DON'T WANT TO COMMIT. BUT AMONG MANY OF US
WHO ARE HERE AT MASS EVERY WEEKEND AND DO FULFILL THE MINIMUM
REQUIREMENTS WE DEFINE AS “PRACTICING”, AREN'T COMMITTED EITHER.
THEY DON'T TRY TO CONFORM THEIR LIVES TO THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH,
WHICH ARE INSEPARABLE FROM THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. THE CHURCH IS
SUPPOSED TO BE A SIGN OF CONTRADICTION; WE OPPOSE ABORTION; WE CALL
FOR ACTIVE MINISTRY TO THE POOR AND DISADVANTAGED; WE BELIEVE IN THE
PERMANENCE OF MARRIAGE AND THAT MARRIAGE CAN ONLY BE CONTRACTED
BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN; WE BELIEVE THAT HUMAN LIFE FROM CONCEPTION
TO DEATH, IS OF INFINITE VALUE. AND YET WE FIND MANY CATHOLICS WHO
WOULD DISAGREE WITH ONE OR MORE OF THESE POSITIONS, BUT HAVE NEVER
TRIED TO UNDERSTAND THE CHURCH'S REASONS FOR THEM.
TODAY LET US ASK OURSELVES, ARE WE
COMMITTED? CAN WE SAY WITH PETER, “WHERE ELSE CAN WE GO? YOU HAVE
THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE”.
