Word to the Wise
Saturday, April 12, 2008 - Saturday in the Third Week of Easter
[Acts 9:31-42 and John 6:60-69]It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." ......As a result of this, man of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go: You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
In the Gospel of John, the biggest sin is a refusal to believe and to accept Jesus as the one sent from God. Those who do believe receive the gift of the Spirit and begin to experience eternal life! Fr. Raymond Brown, S.S., in his authoritative commentary, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN, points out that even though the words quoted above come at the end of what is commonly called "the Bread of Life" discourse, it is not a refusal to believe in the eucharist that is involved in this scene, it is a refusal to believe that Jesus comes from God. Furthermore, Jesus is telling us that we cannot save ourselves by any action. It is faith in him that will save through the gift of the Spirit. This is why the "Twelve" are so important. It is the apostolic faith that is passed down to us in their witness. The scene from the Gospel of John is a different version of the one from the Gospel of Matthew in which Peter professes the faith of the group. Most of us will not take a formal course in "Christology" like the ones taught in seminaries. The complexities and richness of the identity of Jesus in the gospels are the material of such a course. Yet, by reading the four gospels closely, much of this richness can be ours. A good "study bible" is a must! By learning the context for what Jesus says on a given occasion, we then learn to apply that teaching in our own. It is more than "receiving communion" on Sunday! It is more than the few phrases in the Nicene Creed that we recite every Sunday! Coming to terms with the "eternal life" that is available to us through faith, and not just as a future event, is basically the problem faced by those who turned away. Jesus is not spiritual life insurance. He is life itself! Why would we refuse an offer like that? AMEN
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