21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21
Reading II: Ephesians 5:21-32
Gospel: John 6:60-69
It must have been very difficult for the people of Jesus’ time to understand and accept his teaching concerning his flesh as the bread and his blood as the drink that he would give them. They took his words literally and therefore got scandalized. In fact, many of his disciples stopped following him because they found his words too much to bear. Peter, on behalf of the rest of the apostles, expressed his faith in Jesus in spite of not being able to really comprehend his teaching. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life.”
Jesus wouldn’t really care much if dissent and defection were indeed to occur among His disciples. Jesus was inviting them to discern for themselves. What He clearly does is simply give His teachings and challenges, and then to poke us time and again by asking us a question or two. That much, and that alone. Even if Peter did not understand Jesus, he still trusted and believed in Him. Peter in all his straightforwardness made his position clear that there is nobody else to go, for only Jesus has the words of eternal life. It is as simple as that. We are good Christians if we can live by that.
Efren Tomas
In 2004, Father Efren arrived on Maui, Hawaii to be the Pastor of Christ The King Catholic Church in Kahului, Maui until 2012. He calls Christ The King his home because this was his first parish in Hawaii.
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