Homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Lord, To Whom Shall We Go?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Today we come to the end of the extraordinary sixth Chapter of John’s Gospel. For five straight weeks, we have been reading and reflecting on the Bread of Life Discourse of John. Among the four Gospels, John records the lengthiest and the most complete teaching of Jesus on this most precious gift of inestimable value— the gift of the Lord’s Body and Blood. In last week’s Gospel, Jesus told his listeners, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you” (John 6:53). Today, we have the final act, the culmination and the climax of the story. We hear that “many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard; who can accept it?’” (John 6:60). Notice that we are not talking about the enemies of Jesus, rather his followers. Yet, they found his teaching impossible to accept. After expressing “difficulty to accept the high christology reflected in the Bread of Life discourse,” we hear one of the saddest lines in the New Testament: “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him” (John 6:66). The number of people that left was so many causing Jesus to wonder aloud to the Twelve Apostles, “Do you also want to leave?” At this point the whole Christian project was at risk of collapsing, it was hanging in the balance. But glory be to God that Peter speaks, as he did in the synoptic Gospels to another of Jesus’ probing questions: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” In Peter’s answer, we find the great Catholic answer to why we believe.

As you read this reflection, please consider these questions: if Jesus’ words were meant in a symbolic sense, why did many of his disciples leave him? If what Jesus meant was simply, “the bread is a symbol of my body,” why would there be such a strong reaction? I tell you, if his words were meant to be understood in a metaphorical way, they would not have had such a shocking effect. And the Jewish Scriptures deal in poetic metaphor all the time. The disciples who left Jesus understood exactly what Jesus meant. And given every opportunity to explain and clarify himself better, Jesus does nothing of the kind. Instead, he doubles down and rebukes them for their lack of faith. This is why the Catholic tradition has insisted that Jesus’ words should be taken straightforwardly. 

But why do we need the Eucharist? Life is a journey. And on this journey, we need nourishment. We need sustenance. We need refreshment. No other food can offer and guarantee us all these but the Body of Christ. Moreover, Jesus knows the brunt of this journey of life. He lived it himself. So, in the Eucharist, Jesus journeys with us and offers himself to us as our nourishment and support.  

God bless you!