Homily - Third Saturday of Easter (John 6:60-69) “Committed or Not?”
Homily Third Saturday of Easter (John 6:60-69) “Committed or Not?”
We might have a sense from what has been preached to us throughout our lives that once people said they were disciples of Jesus they converted and never looked back. If we have that belief, it is probably a mistaken notion. We would have to guess that there were disciples joining Jesus and leaving his company all the time.
This is the way it is with any religious organization. People who were in the community Jesus founded got in arguments with one another. All of them were sinners. There were those who expected something different of Jesus. When he did not provide what they wanted they left.
We have such an episode shared in the Gospel of John. Jesus gives his Bread of Life Discourse. As he makes his closing remarks in that sermon it sounds almost cannibalistic to us. It sounded the same way the congregation who listened two thousand years ago. The talk of feeding on Jesus’ body and blood was just too gruesome for some of Jesus’ followers to bear. And they decided to leave his company before they had the teaching put into full context.
When people choose to leave our parish, it is disturbing. Sometimes it might cause a crisis in confidence. It was the same way with the first followers of Jesus. Jesus had to be distressed at some level when people rejected him.
It is said that commitment to a church is a four-step process. The first step is that we join because we are attracted to a church. We are infatuated with belonging to a group of faith-filled people. As we live in a church community, however, we begin to see that every community has its faults. There are sinners involved (this experience is step two). Because of step two we move into step three. We are thrown into a crisis of faith. Do we stay even though the other members of the church are hypocrites at times? If we choose to belong (Step 4), we commit to belonging with more realistic expectations. We will probably be solid church members throughout our life. The people who kept following Jesus through good and bad times were the backbone of the early church. They were the saints we read about today.
Reflection Questions:
- Have I been tempted to leave the church? What was the issue that caused a crisis of faith for me?
- How did I work through my difficulties? Was it worth staying?
Dear Parishioners,
One of the most popular things we have done since the beginning of the pandemic was to have outdoor Sunday Masses. Parish members have been wondering if we will do that again this summer. I am beginning to work on this possibility. It looks like we will, but not every Sunday.
Right now, we will try to have an outdoor Mass once a month. We would have them in the same place and use most of the same protocols. The good thing about these Masses is that we will have no limit to the number of people who can come, and registration is not necessary. I will share more information as plans become clearer.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark