A Choice to Make
This Sunday’s Mass readings conclude a four-week meditation on the Eucharist.
The 12 apostles in today’s Gospel are asked to make a choice—either to believe and accept the new covenant He offers in His body and blood, or return to their former ways of life.
Their choice is prefigured by the decision Joshua asks the 12 tribes to make in today’s First Reading.
Joshua gathers them at Shechem—where God first appeared to their father Abraham, promising to make his descendants a great nation in a new land (see Genesis 12:1-9). And he issues a blunt challenge—either renew their covenant with God or serve the alien gods of the surrounding nations.
We too are being asked today to decide whom we will serve. For four weeks we have been presented in the liturgy with the mystery of the Eucharist — a daily miracle far greater than those performed by God in bringing the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
He has promised us a new homeland, eternal life, and offered us bread from heaven to strengthen us on our journey. He has told us that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood we will have no life in us.
It is a hard saying, as many murmur in today’s Gospel. Yet He has given us the words of eternal life.
We must believe, as Peter says today, that He is the Holy One of God, who handed himself over for us, gave His flesh for the life of the world.
As we hear in today’s Epistle, Jesus did this that we might be sanctified, made holy, through the water and word of baptism by which we enter into His new covenant. Through the Eucharist, He nourishes and cherishes us, making us His own flesh and blood, as husband and wife become one flesh.
Let us renew our covenant today, approaching the altar with confidence that, as we sing in today’s Psalm, the Lord will redeem the lives of His servants.
St. Padre Pio de Pietrelcina
Epistle 3, 980
Be patient and persevere in the practice of meditation. Be content, to start with, to make progress only by degrees. Later on you will have legs that will ask for nothing but to run or, better, wings for flying with.
Be happy to obey. It’s never easy but it is God we have chosen as our portion. Accept that, as yet, you are only a little bee in its nest but, very quickly, it will become one of those wonderful workers so skilful in making honey. Always remain humble before God and men, in love. Then our Lord will speak to you in truth and enrich you with his gifts.
It can happen that bees will cover great distances over the meadows before they find the flowers they want. Afterwards, worn out but satisfied and laden with pollen, they go back to the hive to carry out the silent but fruitful transformation of the flowers’ nectar into the nectar of life. You, do likewise: when you have listened to the Word, meditate on it attentively, study its different aspects, seek out the depths of its meaning. Then it will become clear and luminous to you; it will have power to transform your natural inclinations into a pure uplifting of the spirit, and your heart will be always more closely united to the heart of Christ.
Pope Francis
Angelus Address, Sunday, August 23, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of John concludes with the discourse on the Bread of Life, which Jesus gave the day after the multiplication of the loaves and fish.
At the end of that discourse, the great enthusiasm of previous day had dissipated, for Jesus said that he was the Bread which came down from heaven, and that he would give his flesh as food and his blood as drink, thereby clearly alluding to the sacrifice of his life. Those words gave rise to dismay in the people, who deemed such words unworthy of the Messiah, not “winning” words. Thus, several regarded Jesus as a messiah who should have spoken and acted in such a way as to bring success to his mission, straight away. But they were mistaken precisely in this: in the way of understanding the mission of the Messiah! Not even the disciples managed to accept the unsettling words of the Teacher. And today’s passage refers to their discomfort: “This is a hard saying”, they commented, “who can listen to it?” (Jn 6:60).
In reality, they had certainly understood Jesus’ discourse. So well that they did not want to heed it, because it was a discourse which threw their mind-set into crisis. Jesus’ words always throw us into crisis, for example, the worldly spirit, worldliness. But Jesus offers the key for overcoming this difficulty; a key consisting of three elements. First, his divine origin: he came down from heaven and will ascend again to “where he was before” (v. 62). Second: his words can be understood only through the action of the Holy Spirit. The One who “gives life” (v. 63) is precisely the Holy Spirit who enables us to understand Jesus properly. Third: the true cause of incomprehension of his words is the lack of faith: “there are some of you that do not believe” (v. 64), Jesus says. In fact from that time, the Gospel says, “many of his disciples drew back” (v. 66). In the face of these desertions, Jesus does not compromise and does not mince words, indeed he demands that a precise choice be made: either to stay with him or leave him, and he says to the Twelve: “Will you also go away?” (v. 67).
At this point Peter makes his confession of faith on behalf of the other Apostles: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v. 68). He does not say “where shall we go?”, but “to whom shall we go?”. The underlying problem is not about leaving and abandoning the work undertaken, but to whom to go. From Peter’s question we understand that fidelity to God is a question of fidelity to a person, to whom we bind ourselves to walk together on the same road. And this person is Jesus. All that we have in the world does not satisfy our infinite hunger. We need Jesus, to be with him, to be nourished at his table, on his words of eternal life! Believing in Jesus means making him the centre, the meaning of our life. Christ is not an optional element: he is the “Living Bread”, the essential nourishment. Binding oneself to him, in a true relationship of faith and love, does not mean being tied down, but being profoundly free, always on the journey. Each one of us can ask him- or herself: who is Jesus for me? Is he a name, an idea, simply an historical figure? Or is he truly that person who loves me and gave his life for me and walks with me? Who is Jesus for you? Are you with Jesus? Do you try to comprehend him in his word? Do you read the Gospel, each day a passage from the Gospel to learn to know Jesus? Do you carry a small Gospel in your pocket, handbag, to read it, in whatever place? Because the more we are with him the more the desire to be with him grows. Now I ask you, please, let us have a moment of silence and let each one of us silently, in our hearts, ask ourselves the question: “Who is Jesus for me?”. Silently, each one, answer in your heart.
May the Virgin Mary help us to always “go” to Jesus to experience the freedom he offers us, allowing it to cleanse our choices from worldly incrustations and fears.
Appeal for peace in Ukraine
I am following with concern the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has escalated again in these recent weeks. I renew my appeal in order that the commitments made to attain peace be kept, and with the help of the organizations and of people of good will, that the humanitarian emergency be resolved in the country. May the Lord grant peace to Ukraine, which is preparing to celebrate its national holiday tomorrow. May the Virgin Mary intercede for us!
After the Angelus:
I am following with concern the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has escalated again in these recent weeks. I renew my appeal in order that the commitments made to attain peace be kept, and with the help of the organizations and of people of good will, that the humanitarian emergency be resolved in the country. May the Lord grant peace to Ukraine, which is preparing to celebrate its national holiday tomorrow. May the Virgin Mary intercede for us!
Dear brothers and sisters, I cordially greet all the pilgrims of Rome and those from various countries, especially the new seminarians at the Pontifical North American College, who have come to Rome to take up theological studies.
I greet the athletic group of San Giorgio su Legnano, the faithful from Luzzano and Chioggia; the young men and women from the Diocese of Verona.
This week, remember to pause for a moment each day and ask yourselves the question: “Who is Jesus for me?”. And each one answer in your heart.
I wish a happy Sunday to all. And please, do not forget to pray for me! Enjoy your lunch! Arrivederci!
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus Address, Sunday, August 23, 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You see my hand, it is free of the plaster cast but it is still a bit lazy: I shall have to remain for a while at the school of patience, but we are making progress!
You know that for several Sundays the Liturgy has proposed for our reflection Chapter Six of John’s Gospel, in which Jesus presents himself as the “Bread of life… which came down from Heaven”, and, he adds: “if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever: and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (Jn 6: 51). To the Jews who were arguing heatedly among themselves, questioning: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (v. 52) and the world still debates it Jesus replies in every age: “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (v. 53). We too should reflect on whether we have really understood this message. Today, the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, let us meditate on the last part of this chapter in which the Fourth Evangelist mentions the reaction of the people and of the disciples themselves. They were shocked by the Lord’s words to the point that having followed him until then they exclaimed: “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” (v. 60). After this, “many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him” (v. 66) and the same thing has happened over and over again in various periods of history. One might expect Jesus to seek compromises to make himself better understood, but he does not mitigate what he says. On the contrary, he turns directly to the Twelve and asks them: “Will you also go away?” (v. 67).
This provocative question is not only addressed to listeners in his time, but also reaches the believers and people of every epoch. Today too, many are “shocked” by the paradox of the Christian faith. Jesus’ teaching seems “hard”, too difficult to accept and to put into practice. Then there are those who reject it and abandon Christ; there are those who seek to “adapt his” word to the fashions of the times, misrepresenting its meaning and value. “Will you also go away?” This disturbing provocation resounds in our hearts and expects a personal answer from each one; it is a question addressed to each one of us. Jesus is not content with superficial and formal belonging, a first and enthusiastic adherence is not enough for him; on the contrary, what is necessary is to take part for one’s whole life “in his thinking and in his willing”. Following him fills our hearts with joy and gives full meaning to our existence, but it entails difficulties and sacrifices because very often we must swim against the tide.
“Will you also go away?”. Peter answers Jesus’ question on the Apostles’ behalf, and in the name of believers of every century: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (vv. 68-69).
Dear Brothers and Sisters, at this moment we too can and want to repeat Peter’s answer, aware of course of our human frailty, of our problems and difficulties, but trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit which is expressed and manifested in communion with Jesus. Faith is a gift of God to man and at the same time man’s free and total entrustment to God; faith is docile listening to the word of the Lord who is the “lamp” for our feet and a “light” for our path (cf. Ps 119[118]: 105). If we open our hearts to Christ with trust, if we let ourselves be won over by him, we can also experience, like, for example, the holy Curé d’Ars, that “our only happiness on this earth is to love God and to know that he loves us”. Let us ask the Virgin Mary always to keep awake within us this faith imbued with love, which made her, a humble girl of Nazareth, the Mother of God and Mother and model of all believers.
After the Angelus:
Today, the 30th Meeting for Friendship among Peoples began in Rimini. Its title this year is “Knowledge is always an event”. In addressing a cordial welcome to all who are taking part in this important event, I express the hope that it will be a favourable opportunity for understanding that: “knowing is not simply a material act, since… in all knowledge and in every act of love the human soul experiences something “over and above’, which seems very much like a gift that we receive, or a height to which we are raised” (Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, n. 77).
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Angelus. May your visit to Castel Gandolfo and Rome strengthen your faith in our Lord, the Holy One of God, and renew your desire to share the peace of his Kingdom with others. Upon you and your loved ones, I invoke God’s Blessings of true happiness and joy!
I wish you all a good Sunday.
Pope Benedict XVI
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On the past few Sundays we have meditated on the “Bread of Life” discourse, which Jesus gave in the Synagogue of Capernaum after satisfying the hunger of thousands of people with five loaves and two fish. The Gospel today presents the disciples’ reaction to this discourse, a reaction which Christ himself deliberately provoked.
First of all, the Evangelist John — who was present with the other Apostles — says: “After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him” (Jn 6:66). Why? Because they did not believe in the words of Jesus who said: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven… he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (cf. Jn 6:51, 54); words that were truly difficult to accept, incomprehensible. This revelation — as I have said — was incomprehensible to them because they understood it in a purely literal sense, whereas these words foretold the Paschal Mystery of Jesus, in which he was to give himself for the world’s salvation: the new presence of the Blessed Eucharist.
Seeing that many of his disciples were deserting him, Jesus turned to the Apostles, asking them: “Will you also go away?” (Jn 6:67). As on other occasions it was Peter who answered on behalf of the Twelve: “Lord, to whom shall we go?”. We, too, might wonder: to whom should we go? “You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:68-69).
We have a beautiful comment of St Augustine on this passage. In one of his sermons on John 6 he says: “See how Peter, by the gift of God and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, understood Him. How other than because he believed? ‘You have the words of eternal life’. For You have eternal life in the ministration of Your body [Risen] and Your blood [Yourself]. ‘And we have believed and have known’. He does not say: ‘we have known and then believed’, but ‘we have believed and then known’. We believed in order to know; for if we wanted to know first, and then to believe, we should not be able either to know or to believe. What have we believed and known? ‘That You are Christ, the Son of God’; that is, that You are that very eternal life, and that You give in Your flesh and blood only that which You are” (In Evangelium Johannis tractatus, 27, 9). St Augustine addressed this homily to his believers.
Finally, Jesus knew that among the Twelve Apostles there was also one who did not believe: Judas. Judas could have gone away too, as did many of the disciples; indeed, perhaps if he had been honest he would have been bound to leave. Instead he stayed on with Jesus. He did not stay out of faith or out of love, but rather with the secret intention of taking revenge on the Teacher. Why? Because Judas felt let down by Jesus and decided that he, in his turn, would betray Jesus. Judas was a zealot and he wanted a victorious Messiah who would lead a revolt against the Romans. Jesus had not measured up to these expectations. The problem was that Judas did not go away and his greatest sin was his deceitfulness, which is the mark of the Devil. For this reason Jesus said to the Twelve: “One of you is a devil” (Jn 6:70). Let us pray to the Virgin Mary to help us believe in Jesus, like St Peter, and always to be sincere with him and with everyone.
After the Angelus:
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at this Angelus prayer. I also greet the new students of the Pontifical North American College. Dear seminarians, use your time in Rome to conform yourselves more completely to Christ. Indeed, may all of us remain faithful to the Lord, even when our faith in his teaching is tested. May God bless you!
I address my fervent greetings to the Salesians who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their perpetual profession — 50 years! Congratulations! — including the parish priest of Castel Gandolfo. I wish you all a good Sunday. A happy Sunday to you all! Have a good week!
