The way to go

There are places in the world - even today - where being a Christian is an easy way to go: it is an accepted by society and no one is offended by the way the faith is practiced or expressed.

So it was also for the disciples of Jesus for a while: Jewish society in those days had several high-profile preachers who attracted followers and Christ's teachings were generally inoffensive - pretty much in the mainstream of Jewish conventional wisdom.

And then our Lord said things that were very different: things that were out of the mainstream and actually offensive to conventional wisdom. We hear the reaction in today's Gospel (John 6:60-69).

Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said,
"This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

But Jesus,
knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it,
said to them,
"Do you take offense at this?"

Our Lord is not apologetic in the slightest: he pushes their buttons again and then draws the line – between the spirit and the flesh, life and emptiness, faith and disbelief.

"Then what if you were to see
the Son of man ascending where he was before?

It is the spirit that gives life,
the flesh is of no avail;
the words that I have spoken to you
are spirit and life.

But there are some of you that do not believe."

Yes, being a Christian includes what many people would say is simply being a decent human being.

But being a Christian is much more than that.

Indeed, the teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is about more than just the "Golden Rule," it is also about Jesus as the Bread of Life and his Flesh being real food and his blood being real drink; the teaching of Christ involves more than just the reality of God’s love for all, it also involves the reality of many people choosing to turn away.

God offers the gift of faith, but he also provides the gift of choice (with its potentially eternally sad consequences).

For Jesus knew from the first
who those were that did not believe,
and who it was that would betray him.

And he said,
"This is why I told you
that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by the Father."

After this
many of his disciples drew back
and no longer went about with him.

(Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, be merciful to me – a sinner.)

I don't know about you, but the rest of the passage moves me deeply.

I can imagine the Lord turning toward me and asking,

"Do you also wish to go away?"

And with all my heart and soul I want to unite myself totally with the words of Peter - the rock upon whom Christ has founded his Church:

"Lord, to whom shall we go?
Thou hast the words of eternal life.

And we believe
and are sure
that thou art that Christ,
the Son of the living God."

Domine ad quem ibimus?
Verba vitae aeternae habes.
Et nos credidimus
et cognovimus
quia tu es Christus
Filius Dei.

And recalling the words of today's Psalm (Psalm 116:12-17), I ask the Lord to help me not draw back nor follow the world’s way to go, but to help me go with Christ and to follow him ever more closely:

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?

The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.

O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant,
the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.