Lord, To Whom Shall We Go?

 (Homily for the 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B)

     Upon consideration of the overriding themes emanating from the liturgy of this Sunday, this Sunday may be well described as a Sunday of Choice and Decision. The word of God confronts man with this fundamental alternative: God or idols, Christ or other masters. There is therefore need for decision and choice. And indeed, human experience brings it to our consideration and our Christian journey confirms that we do not make this choice once and for all; instead we are called to renew our choice for and of Christ daily, through our words and actions. In the first reading and in the Gospel we see a parallel between the choice made by the Israelites at Shechem and the choice confronting the disciples at the end of that long discourse in the sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel. The invitation: “Choose this day whom you will serve” is parallel to Jesus’ challenging question: “Will you also go away?” Again, the responses are parallel: “We will serve Yahweh because he is our God” and “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life”. Thus, while the first reading and the Gospel focus our attention on the theme of decision in the face of divine revelation, the second reading instead offers the occasion to speak on the manifestation of the fundamental choice of Christ in the Christian marriage, exemplified by love.

     In the first reading (Jos. 24:1-2.15-17.18) we read from the 24^th chapter of the book of Joshua. This 24^th chapter is important in the history of the tradition of the Israelites, for it preserves the remnants of the ancient liturgy for the renewal of the covenant at Shechem. It presents a great leader Joshua, who at the moment of entrance to the promised land, gathered all the Israelites and invited them to decide and declare if they want to serve the Only True God or the pagan gods, “Today you must make up your minds whom you do mean to serve, whether the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now living. As regards my family and me, we shall serve Yahweh” (v. 15). Indeed, it could have been very easy for them to choose the pagan idols made of human hands, which will not ‘disturb’ their ways and dreams, than choosing the God of Abraham, who is exigent. But interestingly, the assembly of the tribes of Israel did not hesitate in declaring unanimously their choice for the God of Abraham: “far be it from us to desert Yahweh and to serve other gods” (v.16). And again vehemently they voiced out: “We too shall serve God, for he is our God” (v.18). They recognized the benefits they have received from God, and the wonders he wrought for them. This indeed, is a religious attitude we need to rediscover today, always keeping in mind the benefits and the favors we have received from God, the psalmist puts it in a more glaring manner thus: “Bless the Lord, my soul, never forget all his acts of kindness” (Ps. 103:2). Indeed, more than ever, today the solicitation of Joshua becomes urgent, for we have to make a decision and choose whom to serve too, to follow God, his commandments and his ordinances, or to follow other gods, idols and current of thoughts in contrast with Christian values.

     Similarly, in the passage of the Gospel reading (Jn. 6:60-69) the apostles were equally called to make their choice. In the long discourse of Jesus on the Bread of life, he encountered incredulity and scepticism, when he affirmed to be the bread descended from heaven, and that the Bread he will give is his flesh for the life of the world. Indeed Jesus’ promise of giving himself as bread and wine in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist provoked a sort of indignation and doubt in his listeners, that some even walked away from him, even some of his disciples who have been following him, from that moment abandoned him, saying: “This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?” (v.60). Some of his disciples abandoned him, because they failed to accept his teaching as something practicable. At this point they understood that the teaching of Jesus is not merely symbolic or allegorical, when Jesus says he is going to give himself, he means it in the real sense of the word. However, their reaction did not make Jesus to modify the intensity of his teaching and self-giving, rather even in a more provocative manner he added “What if you should see the Son of man ascend to where he was before?” (v.62). Here Jesus makes a wonderful intelligible statement, he makes allusion to his divinity: “God from God”, he reminded them of where he came from. This statement equally revokes the power and efficacy in God’s word that does not fail. Afterwards, Jesus tested his 12 apostles: “What about you, do you want to go away too?” (v.67). Jesus somehow invited them to make a definitive and decisive choice. Then Peter, on behalf of all answered: “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life” (v. 68). Truly, the ‘question-response’ of Peter condenses the most beautiful and enthusiastic adhesion of faith in Christ. They affirmed and confirmed their faith in Him. In our society today torn apart by different idols and current of thoughts that deprecate and defame the Christian message, we cannot but follow the examples of Peter in proclaiming Jesus as the unique custodian of God’s word, let our voices and good works re-echo with that of Peter in affirming to the men and women of our time that only Christ has the message of eternal life. In fact, later on in his Gospel St. John will identify the knowledge of Christ with eternal life, thus: “And eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn.17:3).

     Today, many have abandoned God and Christ to follow other gods, some have constructed for themselves idols that they adore. Some adore money, power and wealth; others adore materialism and pleasure; while some others adore wickedness and malefic acts, immodest dressing and dishonesty in business, the list can continue on and on! In their thought, they have become freer, to realize themselves, while in reality they have become slaves of the product of their own actions. Many a times, it happens that they do not have time neither for God nor for others, they have time only for their self-construed objects of adoration. They abandon the True God in search of idols of every kind. Just as St. John reported in the Gospel passage, that some of the disciples “defected from the party of Jesus” (v. 66), but not for good. They defected for lack of knowledge, understanding and because of their feelings of insecurity, but how can one feel insecure before the author and giver of life?

     On the other hand, for all of us gathered here today, I may well presume that we have made our fundamental choice to serve the Living God, by following Jesus, and by putting into practice his teachings and examples. But let us all ask ourselves, whether we have been faithful to our choices through and through? Or we have sometimes preferred idols of this world to God and His ordinances. Today, we see Christians who say they are Christians, but non-practicing. Then, I ask: How can one be a Christian without practicing it? Little wonder, you see those who profess themselves Christians but they stand against life and Christian human values, and stand for anti-Christian ideologies and practices, like disrespect to human life and dignity, abortion and the denigration of the disabled. At times the so called nominal Christians adopt anti Gospel lifestyles just in the quest to follow the opinions of others or in the quest to be in line with what is in vogue. But this means choosing against Christ, it is a betrayal of Christ and His Good News of Salvation.

     The second reading (Eph. 5:21-32) swings between the major theme (choice for Christ) and its manifestation in the marital life. St. Paul sees in the sacrament of matrimony, not only a symbol of the bond of love that unites Christ and his Church, but also participation and a manifestation of that bond of love. Through the sacrament of matrimony the couples are invited to adopt Christ style of love and his capacity to love, for this St. Paul posits: “Husbands should love their wives, just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy” (vv.25-26a). And inversely we can also say: ‘Wives should love their husbands, as the Church loves Christ’, the Church represented authentically by martyrs and saints, who spend their life for Christ. The consciousness of this Christian ideal will capacitate husbands and wives to live a type of conjugal love totally different from the one being proposed today by the ‘world’, where husbands and wives are in a constant struggle for gender equality and supremacy. With the particularity of the theme of the second reading on marital love, let us try to contextualize the message of today to our own state of life. And in truth does our life style conform to our choice and adhesion for Christ?

    Beloved in Christ, today we are therefore called to renew truly our choice of and for Christ, and to embark on a more convinced and coherent adhesion to the Gospel of Christ. Irrespective of our state of life, let us contextualize today’s message in our calling and manifest the love for our fundamental option for Christ. It is equally true, that poor mortals like us, even though we proclaim our faith in Christ Jesus, in some difficult situations, we too have found the words of Jesus very hard, but we pray for His enabling grace to maintain us always on the track of his love, for without the Custodian of the words of eternal life, we are lost and disoriented. The voices of Joshua and Christ are still re-echoing: “Today you must make up your minds whom you do mean to serve”, What about you, do you want to go away too?” Like Peter I pronounce my declaration of love and adhesion of faith: I choose you Jesus today and forever, for your words are eternal!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)