21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

“This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Jn 6:60-69

Introduction

During the regime of Pol Pot in Cambodia, millions of men, and women, young and old were put to death. Almost after three decades, the remaining leaders will finally be put on trial. One of them who was Buddhist became Christian. He said that Christianity was easier because all you have to do was to ask pardon and God will forgive you. But in Buddhism, if you have been bad, you will be re-incarnated into a lower life form. And you will be re-incarnated again and again until you are good enough to enter their heaven, called Nirvana.

It is true that it is easy to be forgiven in Christianity. And it is because Christ already paid for our sins. But it is not true that it is easy to live Christianity. The demands are tough.

Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”

The statement of Jesus: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” is not the only statement of Jesus that is hard to accept.

Mt 6: 31-33. “So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.”

Mt 5: 23-24. “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Mt 5: 38-39. "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, ‘offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.’”

Mt 5: 44. “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”

Mt 5: 29-30. “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.”

Mt 5: 32. “But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.

In St. John’s gospel, flesh is used to indicate the weakness, sinfulness and limitation of a human being. And that is why we hear it said: “Sapagkat tayo tao lamang.” This statement is true but not completely true, for we are not only flesh. We are also spirit. In other words, God has given us the possibility of rising above our weakness, our sinfulness and our limitations. God has planted the seed of greatness within us.

Judge Lee of Cebu was one of the fatalities of a sea tragedy. Survivors attest to the fact that he was one of those who organized the orderly distribution of life vests. He did not keep a life vest for himself. He gave it all away. Is this not greatness? Did he not fulfill Jesus’ words, “No greater love a man has than to lay down his life for his friends.”

Have we not read of two OFW who worked in Lebanon. They were both women who worked abroad in order to send their young siblings to school. Are they not heroes?

We have one priest who has only one kidney. He gave his other kidney to his elder brother. And if his kuya is alive today, it is because of him.

These are all examples of what we are capable of. And it is because God has given us the power to rise above our sinfulness, our weakness and our limitations.

Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”

Today what question will Jesus address to us? Is it “do you also want to leave?” or would it instead be, “When will you be coming back to me?”

How often do we pray? When do we pray?

When was the last time we went to confession?

The problem perhaps is not that we are tempted to leave the company of God. The problem perhaps is that we have forgotten God and have focused our attention on other things. Or perhaps we have been living with sin in our hearts and have gotten used to it.

Conclusion

We have the distinction of being the only Christian country in this part of the world. And yet has our being Christian been advantageous to our country? Did it make our country progressive? Did it make of us a virtuous people?

If the answer is yes, then God be praised. But if the answer is no, perhaps it is not the fault of Christianity. The problem perhaps is that we have not really put into practice the teachings of Jesus in our daily lives.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. (Jn 6:41-51)

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

It may also be translated as: The Jews complained to one another. In the desert the Israelites complained endlessly. And it was attributed to their lack of faith. Now their descendants are again complaining. And again it was because of their lack of faith. In fact the gospel of John is the story of unbelief on the part of the Jews. They could not accept the claims of Jesus.

The Jews could not accept this claim of Jesus because they thought they knew his origin, his father and his mother. But we know that Jesus is the Word who came from the Father and became flesh and dwelt among us.

All religions seeks God. But it is only Christianity that says that it is God that seeks man. Jesus came down from heaven in order to seek the lost sheep and bring it back. The Jews could not accept that Jesus was the Father's agent in seeking out mankind.

Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert.

The Jews knew of the manna that their ancestors ate in the desert. They could not accept that Jesus was the true bread that the Father gives for the life of the world. Jesus even dared to say that he was greater than the Law which the Jews believed to be the bread that nourishes the Jewish people.

And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

The verb "give" is used in the NT (New Testament) for the giving of Jesus of his body as a sacrifice on the cross. This handing over of his body brings life to the world. By eating his flesh in holy communion, we receive the life (eternal life) which he won for us on the cross.

THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE

Eternal carries with it the idea of without end. This world will end. The next life has no end. We human beings will die. God will never die.

When we speak of eternal life, we are speaking of that life enjoyed by God in contrast to our life on earth. Eternal life is not just life without end. It is a happy life without end.

Greek mythology relates the story of Aurora, the goddess of dawn, who fell in love with a mortal, Tithonus. Zeus offered here any gift for her lover. Aurora asked that he might never die. She forgot to ask that he might also remain young forever. So Tithonus lived forever growing older and older until life became a curse.

The eternal life offered to us by God is not just life without end. It is a life of complete happiness without end. And every holy communion we receive is receiving not only Jesus but also his promise of a happy life without end.

The Transfiguration (B)

And he was transfigured before them ( Mk 9:2-10)

On Mount Tabor the three apostles had a religious experience. Could we call it a mystical experience? Whatever the name we might call it, it was an experience of the divine, an experience of God.

Ninoy Aquino had such an experience. Let a newspaperwoman (Rita Ledesma) relate to you what Ninoy told her.

He (Ninoy) turned to me, and I saw a soft smile lighting up his face. "I'm so glad to know you," he said. "I can talk to you about my soul. We can speak of my inner journey. You would appreciate that. I've been trying to converse with anyone about how I met God, how I commune with Him. But no one hears my longing. No one believes that I'm more than just a political animal."

"I know how it feels to meet God," I said.

But he didn't seem to notice that I had spoken, so eager was he to express himself. Words spilled out of him like water from a pipe that had burst wide open.

"When I was in (Fort) Bonifacio, I lived in a box," Ninoy said. "Well, that's what it felt like. There was an opening with bars, supposed to be a window, just big enough for me to get some air.

"It was my connection to the outside. But it was high, and there was this sheet of ply-wood, so I could only see a bit of the sky. I used to look out and try to learn its language. A hint of dawn, and I'd sense the kind of day it was going to be. Every dusk was different, every passing cloud. Try this: Look at the sky. What's it saying to you?"

Before I had time to reflect and reply, he continued: "After a while, I was able to discern the sounds around me -- the rustle of leaves when a storm was brewing, who were speaking, which guard was walking past my room.

"You become extremely sensitive when you're alone. I was there a long time, you know."

It began to drizzle. "This kind of rain always reminds me of home," he mused.

His voice suddenly playful, he said: "I can't mention this to just anyone. Maybe 10 years after I'm gone, you can tell your friends. By then, who'd care?"

A slight pause, and then he confided: "I had a pet in my room. Yeah, a pet! He was all mine, the guards couldn't even touch him. I used to talk to him about God. We had profound conversations. Gosh, we had great times together!"

He laughed, and it was delightful to see him so happy.

"Know what?" he said. "My pet was a mouse!"

I shrieked.

"Listen," Ninoy said, recalling how it began. "One night I saw this dark gray mouse running around. Then he disappeared under the door. A few days later he came back. I was really fascinated -- part of my curious nature.

"Anyway, I decided to experiment and left some food in a corner. When he came again I didn't move. I watched him eat. I did this several times. One day I sat very close to him, and he didn't wriggle away. He continued eating. So I tamed him until I was able to keep him still and talk to him."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Now, how can I tell this to anyone?" he demanded. "'Nasira na talaga si Ninoy (He's gone nuts).' I can hear it."

"You must have reinvented yourself in prison," I said. "Great men do. Maybe you didn't even know how strong you were."

He was adamant: "My strength came from God. No other way."

"Let me tell you something else," he said, switching gears. "For a time I was moved to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. I felt degraded there, like I was a real prisoner. My family would visit and there was barbed wire between us.

"My cell didn't have a bathroom. If I wanted to take a shower or use the toilet, I had to signal the guards to let me out. Sometimes they were cruel and wouldn't open the door."

"Oh, my God," I gasped, "how humiliating."

"Anong (What do you mean) humiliating?" he said. "There came a point when I was nothing. I had nothing, not even humiliation. I remember coming back to my room one night after being watched in the toilet, and feeling so small. I had become a non-person. Wala na, tapos na (It was over). I had no dignity left."

"All of a sudden," Ninoy said, "like a miracle I felt free. Liberated from this shell of a body. Released from my prison, from Marcos, from everything that had ever held me hostage.

"It was my Pentecost. I met God and experienced His power. I felt the descent of grace they talk about, and I became a different man."