Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel - Abunda
Parokya San Miguel (Diocese of Ipil)
Municipality of Mabuhay, Zamboanga Sibugay
Mindanao, Philippines
The grace and peace of the Lord be with you (+)
Our gospel reading for this Sunday is the very
culmination of the litany of readings starting from July 29 (17th
Sunday) Let us have a short recap: Last July 29 (17th Sunday), Jesus
fed the 5,000 people. Then the following Sunday, August 5 (18th Sunday), he started the
Bread of Life discourse by saying “I am the Bread of Life.” On August 12 (19th Sunday), he
said again, “I am the Bread of Life.” Then he repeated it last Sunday, August
19 (20th Sunday) “I am the Bread of Life.”
Today our gospel opened with various reactions regarding
his Bread of Life discourse. The people said, “This saying is hard; Who can
accept it?”
If you have a wild imagination, you can picture this out:
one of them might have said, “What he said is nice, but who will have the guts
to accept it? I will never dare drink his blood nor eat his flesh! Who among us
will volunteer?”
One of them said: “I dare you!”
To which he replied: “No way!”
That is why, it is not surprising why many decided not to
go with Him anymore. Instead, they go back to their old way of life…
Receiving Christ
is a Decision. Jesus confronted the twelve: “Do you also want to leave?”
Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
everlasting life.” (John 6: 68). At this point, Peter felt the need to really
make a decision to follow Christ or go back to his old life. While seeing the
others who left, he might have reflected, “If I stop following Christ, to whom
shall I go?”, “Is there somebody who will give me the assurance that I will
receive eternal life?”
Then Peter made a decision, ““Master, to whom shall we
go? You have the words of everlasting life.” (John 6: 68)
In our life as Christians, many times we are faced with decisions
whether we are for Christ or against Christ. It can be small in matters like
telling lies or admitting the truth. It can, however, also be in big matters
like standing up for faith regarding moral issues in our time.
One time in our meeting with the priests and the lay
faithful, a head of ministry shared, “somebody came to me and asked if we are
still to initiate voter’s education in the parish since the election time is
fast approaching. He then added that we are doing the good thing.
Unfortunately, it saddened me because I knew that person, and he received
money.”
Christ is asking us today: Are you for me or against me? Do
you worship me during Sundays only or for the rest of the week?
Receiving Christ
is a conviction. Peter said, “You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:69) in
our first reading, Joshua reminded the people of Israel regarding the many
miracles done by God while they journeyed to the Promised Land and how the God
of Israel also protected them from all enemies. The people responded, “We will
serve the Lord our God, and hear only
His voice. ” (Joshua 24:24)
Are you convinced that the small host you receive in the
Holy Mass is Christ?
One time, I saw a former seminarian in the mall. May
companion said of him: “That ex-seminarian is amazing! He is prayerful, always
prim and proper but was sent out because he punched his seminarian – companion.
In fairness to him, he defended his thesis paper very well before his exit.
I asked, “What is the title of his thesis paper?
“Love of Neighbor.”
(Toinkz!)
Brothers and Sisters, receiving Christ is a personal
response of loyalty. It is our plunge of commitment to Him who is the Bread of
Life whom we receive in the sacrament. We do not receive Christ for nothing. It
calls us to also respond with faith conviction to serve Him, and Him alone. Are
you for Him or against Him?
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