Week beginning Sunday, 23 August
seeing your life through the lens of the gospels
John 6:60-69
1 In this chapter Jesus teaches that the meaning of his life, and the meaning of all human life, lies in being prepared to give of oneself. When have you learned that life was more worthwhile when you were prepared to do that?
2 ‘This teaching is difficult’, complained his hearers, including some of his own followers. Perhaps at times you also have wondered if you could go along with it. What helped you to overcome your resistance?
3 ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life.’ In the midst of your doubts perhaps you have held on to belief because, like Peter, Jesus offered you a more hopeful message than you could find anywhere else. How has the gospel message been more attractive to you than any other?
4 ‘The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.’ Recall the teachings of Jesus have particularly spoken to you.
John Byrne OSA
Email john@orlagh.ie
Questions people ask
Q. How can anyone today take St Paul seriously when he says that the husband is the head of his wife and wives should submit to their husbands in everything?
A. To be fair to Paul read the full passage in Ephesians 3:21-32. Paul makes even greater demands on the husband. ‘Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy.’ In fact, Paul was a pioneer in advocating the equality of male and female because he recognised how Christ Jesus destroyed the inequalities between Jew and Gentile, between slave and free, between male and female, ‘for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Gal 3:28).
Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap
Email silvesteroflynn@gmail.com
The Deep End
Take it or Leave it
There’s very much a take-it-or-leave-it approach evident in today’s Gospel (John 6:60-69). There’s no attempt at gentle persuasion. Jesus has just told the Jews that he is the living bread from heaven and that anyone who eats it will live forever. Does he think that the Jews will jump for joy at hearing this? Strangely, instead of laughing him to scorn, or just turning their back on him as a crackpot, as you might expect, they dispute among themselves what he means. Now why would they do that? Why would they take seriously someone who makes so outlandish a claim?
Two reasons perhaps. First, there’s something about Jesus that demands he be taken seriously, no matter what. There’s an intensity of presence, charisma and power in him that tells you he’s not the type to make nonsensical statements. Whatever about his statements being enigmatic, you know they can never be idiotic. Therefore, the Jews take him seriously and try to understand him.
Second reason: his works. Jesus has publicly performed works of extraordinary power. Miracles we call them. Because we’ve not experienced directly such works ourselves we cannot fully appreciate their effect. Just imagine if you witnessed someone performing even one of the healings attributed to Jesus would you not be totally gobsmacked? Would you not take seriously every utterance of such a person?
Jesus presents his followers with a take-it-or-leave-it claim. Why? Because if what he has done does not convince, then words won’t either. As St Francis noted, we should preach the gospel at all times, using words when necessary.
Fr Tom Cahill SVD, Divine Word Missionaries, Donamon, Co Roscommon
Email tomcee@svdireland.com
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