Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

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”.