WORD ALIVE

These past Sundays, we continue to reflect on Jesus’ teaching of his Body and Blood as spiritual food and drink.

The Jews had been very much impressed by Jesus’ words and actions. They had gone to great lengths to seek him out wherever he went as related in today’s 21st Sunday. 

But when he started talking about “eating his body and drinking his blood,” they were having second thoughts. “This is intolerable language,” they grumbled. “How could anyone accept it?” After this many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.

Aren’t we very much like the skeptical Jews to some extent at times? Not consciously perhaps, but when we hear some “hard teachings” of Jesus, we grumble and may even turn our back on Him?

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Once a priest was delivering a homily with much gusto and enthusiasm. “Thou shalt not kill!” he boomed as his right hand made a sweeping cut through the air.

A fired-up parishioner in the front row exclaimed in agreement, “Amen, Father, amen.” 

“Thou shalt not steal!” the priest fulminated. “Amen!” Again the man on the front row practically shouted.

With the tension rising to electric pitch, the preacher paused and declared with his full voice, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” 

“Oops, oops, Father,” said the parishioner. “You’re no longer preaching. You are now meddling with my life.”

It’s easy enough to accept the teachings of Christ as long as they don't go against our grain or don’t apply to us. But once they do (‘tinamaan’ in local parlance), we say with that parishioner, “Now, now you are meddling with my life.”

“Don't murder! Don't steal! Don't commit adultery! Don't worship false idols!” That's not so hard to take, perhaps because for most of us they don't apply. But “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”? That’s tough to swallow! 

Or, “forgive your enemies – and, mind you, not seven times but seventy times seven times!”  “How can I forgive a husband who’s unfaithful, an officemate who keeps back-biting you?”

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And, as Simon Peter professed, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have come to believe that You are the Son of God” (Jn 6,70).

May we have the faith of Simon Peter and the apostles who, despite numerous trials, continued to believe and followed Him? For this, they were rewarded.

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The Lighter Side. A despondent man was being roused by his mother one early morning.

“Son, it’s time to go to school,” the mother said.  “I  don’t want to. I’ve  two reasons for not going: I don't like the people there, and the people don't like me.”
The mother gazed at him and said: “My son, you should go back to school. I also give you two reasons why: first, you're 59 years old, and second, you are the school principal!”

Yes, summer vacation is over. Students, teachers and yes, principals have to return to school…whether you like it or not.

There are two kinds of people in the world. There are those who wake up in the morning and say, “Good morning, Lord,” and there are those who say, “Good Lord, it's morning.” One praises; the other grumbles.

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Appeal. Some seminarians cannot continue their schooling due to financial hardship. This can be remedied if we can help.

You may chip in an amount or sponsor a seminarian’s schooling good for one school year. 

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