Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

JOHN 6:24-35

MY WIFE AND I HAVE A LOT OF GRANDCHILDREN, AMONG WHOM ARE TWIN BOYS. THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN TELL THEM APART IS THAT THE BLONDE ONE IS A HALF INCH TALLER THAN THE ONE WITH DARK HAIR. MY WIFE HAS BEEN HAVING THEM COME OVER TO OUR HOUSE TO WORK IN THE GARDEN OR PAINT LAWN FURNITURE. SHE GIVES THEM MONEY FOR THESE TASKS, AS WELL AS SOME POST-TASK ICE CREAM, SO THEY KNOW THEY ARE GETTING A GOOD DEAL. THE THINGS SHE HAS THEM DO ARE THINGS THEY'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE, SO SHE PATIENTLY SHOWS THEM HOW TO PULL UP WEEDS OR APPLY PAINT OR RAKE UP PLANT WASTE. AND SHE HAS TO KEEP GOING BACK TO CORRECT THEM OR REMEDY THEIR MISTAKES. AND WHETHER THE JOB IS DONE WELL OR BADLY, SHE PAYS THEM ANYWAY, BECAUSE SHE'S A GRANDMOTHER. AND OF COURSE I THINK TO MYSELF, “WHY DOESN'T SHE JUST DO IT HERSELF? IT WOULD TAKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AND WE'D SAVE MONEY.” I MAY BE OLD, BUT I'M STILL CHEAP.

I THINK OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU CAN ALWAYS THINK OF SOME WAY YOU COULD DO BETTER; IT ISN'T THAT HARD TO AVOID SERIOUS SIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU GET OLD, I THINK; BUT THERE IS SO MUCH THAT COULD BE DONE BUT ISN'T. I COULD BE MORE ATTENTIVE IN MY PRAYERS; I COULD GIVE MORE OF MY TIME AND MONEY TO HELP THE POOR AND THE LONELY AND THE PEOPLE IN INSTITUTIONS. NO MATTER WHAT I DO I KNOW I COULD DO MORE, I COULD DO WHAT I DO BETTER. AND I'M NOT ALONE. THAT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON COMPLAINT AMONG THOSE WHO ARE CLOSE FRIENDS OF JESUS – THE SAINTS. ST. PETER SAID, “DEPART FROM ME, FOR I AM A SINFUL MAN.” ST. PAUL SAID “FOR I DO NOT DO WHAT I WANT, BUT I DO THE VERY THING THAT I HATE." HE CRIES OUT, "WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM! WHO WILL DELIVER ME FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH?” PEOPLE LIKE SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER AND SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGOURI WERE SO CONSUMED WITH WHAT THEY BELIEVED WAS THEIR PURPOSE IN LIFE THAT THEY COULD BARELY SLEEP, AND YET COMPLAINED THAT THEY COULDN'T DO EVEN A FRACTION OF WHAT THEY KNEW HAD TO BE DONE. THE CLOSER YOU ARE TO JESUS, I THINK, THE MORE CLEARLY YOU SEE THE TASK AT HAND, THE BUILDING UP OF HIS KINGDOM – AND IT LOOKS LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK. IT ALMOST SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE JUST TO DO YOUR PART, JUST TO MAKE YOURSELF WHAT YOU KNOW YOU SHOULD BE.

TODAY'S GOSPEL SEEMS TO BE ADDRESSED TO THAT. THE CROWDS SAY, “WHAT CAN WE DO TO ACCOMPLISH THE WORKS OF GOD?” AND WE SAY WITH THEM, “WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OF ME, GOD? AND IF WE ARE HONEST, WE ACKNOWLEDGE HOW LITTLE, HOW INEFFECTIVE, HOW WEAK WE ARE WHEN WE MEASURE THE GAP BETWEEN WHERE WE ARE NOW AND WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO BE WITH GOD.

JESUS' ANSWER IS THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THINGS ALL WRONG. THE ONLY WORK OF GOD WE ARE TO DO IS TO BELIEVE IN JESUS, THE ONE WHO WAS SENT. BUT THE ISSUE IS, DO WE BELIEVE IN JESUS? THE CROWDS WHO HEAR HIM MISS THE POINT – HE JUST TOLD THEM THEY SHOULD BELIEVE IN HIM, AND THEY CHALLENGE HIM; WORK YET ANOTHER MIRACLE TO PROVE YOU ARE WHAT YOU SAY. AND THEY WERE THERE BECAUSE THEY EATEN THE BREAD AND THE FISH AT THE MIRACLE WE HEARD ABOUT LAST WEEK. I THINK YOU AND I WANT TO BELIEVE IN JESUS. BUT WE DON'T REALLY WANT TO FACE ALL THAT IMPLIES. POPE FRANCIS TOOK A VOW TO STOP WATCHING TELEVISION – NOT BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS EVIL, BUT BECAUSE HE SAW THAT IT WAS WASTING HIS TIME. COULD YOU OR I DO THAT? BUT BELIEVING IN JESUS DOES MEAN THAT WE LET HIM TAKE OVER OUR WHOLE LIVES, AND I'M OK WITH THAT AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T INTERFERE WITH MY WATCHING A FEW PROGRAMS. OF COURSE, YOU MAY NOT BE TELEVISION FANS, BUT I BET THERE ARE SOME PARTS OF YOUR LIFE WHICH WOULD BE VERY HARD TO CHANGE EVEN IF JESUS HIMSELF ASKED YOU TO. EVEN SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS WASN'T EXEMPT. HE DIED BECAUSE ON A TRIP FROM ROME TO FRANCE HE DIVERTED HIS PARTY TO A LITTLE TOWN KNOWN FOR ITS FISH. THOMAS WANTED TO TRY THE FISH. HE GOT ONE THAT WAS TAINTED, AND DIED OF FOOD POISONING.

SO BEING A CHRISTIAN IS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE. WE KNOW WE COULD GREATLY IMPROVE AND YET WE ARE FAIRLY CONTENT BEING IN OUR RUT. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I HEARD MORE THAN ONCE FROM MY CATHOLIC RELATIVES THE SENTIMENT THAT “I'M JUST HOPING TO GET IN THE DOOR OF HEAVEN” OR “I'LL BE HAPPY TO MAKE IT TO PURGATORY.” NOW WE DON'T TALK ABOUT HEAVEN AND HELL AND PURGATORY ALL THAT MUCH, BUT THE SENTIMENT IS THE SAME; WE'VE GIVEN UP A LITTLE BIT ON BECOMING SAINTS AND WE ARE SETTLING FOR SECOND BEST.

JESUS SAYS HE IS THE BREAD OF LIFE. AND YOU AND I BELIEVE THAT THE HOST WE RECEIVE IS HIS BODY AND THE CUP WE DRINK FROM CONTAINS HIS BLOOD – IN COMMUNION HE BECOMES PART OF US AND WE BECOME PART OF HIM. FOR US IT ISN'T JUST A SYMBOL, IT IS REAL. AND YET EVEN HERE WE FALL SHORT. I'VE MADE MANY COMMUNIONS WHEN I'M NOT ENTIRELY IN THE MOMENT, OR I'M DISTRACTED, OR I'M STILL FEELING UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED. AND I'VE RECEIVED THE EUCHARIST AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN THINKING ABOUT THE NEXT THING I HAD TO DO.

BUT I THINK THAT'S THE MESSAGE HERE. GOD DOESN'T HOLD US TO HIGH STANDARDS. GOD DOESN'T EVEN HOLD US TO LOW STANDARDS. HE KEEPS BECKONING US, HE KEEPS LOVING US, AND HE FEEDS US WITH JESUS, HIS SON, THE PERFECT PERSON, WHO BECOMES ONE WITH US. AND HE WILL KEEP DOING THIS AS LONG AS WE LIVE, IF WE LET HIM. GOD IS ALWAYS HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL BECOME MORE AND MORE LIKE HIS SON, BUT HIS FEEDING US AND LOVING US AND PROTECTING US IS A GIVEN; IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW ADVANCED WE ARE SPIRITUALLY, OR WHAT GREAT WORKS WE DO.

IF WE WANT TO BECOME SAINTS, WE CAN. LITTLE SAINTS, GREAT SAINTS. JESUS, AFTER ALL, LIVES IN US AND GIVES US WHAT WE NEED. BUT BECOMING A SAINT IS A RESPONSE TO GOD'S LOVE, IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT.

I LIKE THE STORY OF THE TWO MEN WHO DIED AND CAME BEFORE GOD; ONE HAD SPENT HIS LIFE DOING GOOD; HE HAD ENDOWED HOSPITALS AND SUPPORTED MISSIONARIES; IN ADDITION TO GIVING AWAY HIS FORTUNE, HE PERSONALLY WORKED IN SOUP KITCHENS AND VOLUNTEERED IN HOSPICE PROGRAMS. AND OF COURSE WHEN HE FINALLY MET GOD, HE WAS NOT SURPRISED WHEN GOD SAID, “THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD YOU'VE DONE. I AM GIVING YOU THIS BEAUTIFUL MANSION, STAFFED WITH SERVANTS OF EVERY KIND, AND WHATEVER YOU WISH FOR WILL BE YOURS.” THE SECOND MAN RAN A BUSINESS WHERE ETHICS WAS NOT A STRONG POINT; HE CHEATED HIS CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS ALIKE. HE WAS SHORT TEMPERED AND PARANOID, AND LOST FRIENDS FASTER THAN HE COULD MAKE THEM. HE HAD NEVER GIVEN MONEY TO CHARITY. ONCE, THOUGH, HE FELT SORRY FOR A BEGGAR STANDING IN THE COLD, AND GAVE HI AN OLD COAT HE HAD INTENDED TO THROW AWAY. SO HE WAS SURPRISED WHEN GOD SAID, “THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD YOU'VE DONE. I AM GIVING YOU THIS BEAUTIFUL MANSION, STAFFED WITH SERVANTS OF EVERY KIND, AND WHATEVER YOU WISH FOR WILL BE YOURS.” BUT THAT'S NOT THE WHOLE STORY. THE FIRST MAN SAW WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND SAID TO GOD, “NOW I SEE THAT YOU ARE LOVE ITSELF.”