Sunday, August 25, 2024 – Twenty –first Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B Readings: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b, Psalm 34 “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. ”, Ephesians 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32, John 6:60-69

                                          FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH
 
Our fidelity to God begins with fidelity to our commitments. Among Jesus’ followers, some began to question his way of speaking about fidelity to God’s plans. There were even those who considered leaving for good. No doubt, Christ demands a well-defined and radical position. “Do you also want to leave?” he asks. Today he asks us the same question, but our answer can only be Peter’s: ““Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
 
Brothers and sisters,
 
1. We need to recognize that fidelity is a value that is in crisis. In emergency situations, we don’t lack bouts of enthusiasm, but afterwards, do we persevere in our purpose? Are we capable of risking it all forever, as in a marriage or priestly vocation? You have to be generous to take risks! What is virtuous always seems difficult; we feel a mysterious force that pulls us down. Only with great effort can we succeed in being faithful.
Euripides confesses his bewilderment: “Frequently, I have reflected upon mankind’s vices – he says. We see the good, and we do what is bad; we learn virtue and give into vice. Life is sown with diverse pitfalls towards which we are drawn by a dangerous current”.                 Giovanni Papini adds, “Man, however great he may be, is never all of one piece; alongside generous acts we can find lapses of weakness”.
 
2. Jesus speaks of the Eucharist, but we can also understand the fidelity he expects in marriage. Both have much in common. Christ gives himself in body and soul. The same occurs between spouses through their total surrender. Both imply a limitless generosity. Through the sacrament of marriage God gives security, fruitfulness and harmony to the spouses. God does not act as a safety net, nor as protective umbrella; instead he works within theme to give them strength, hope and comfort even in the most painful circumstances.

 3. Only strong spirits can take on serious commitments. Deserters tend to be weak people. Jesus knew human psychology well. After the discourse on the bread of life, he sees that some of his followers begin to doubt. “Do you also want to leave?” he says, and he lays out the dilemma of following him or leaving him. When the master’s demands become radical and the cross in our life emerges, some disciples leave and others turn him off. But not all. There is also a group that stays. To choose means to commit all of one’s life.
 
Brothers and Sisters: Do not postpone your decision to be faithful. When you are faced with the temptation to abandon everything, pray like the disciples: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” You will always find Christ in the Eucharist. Receive him frequently in communion. There lies the secret to fidelity to the things of faith, but also to matrimonial fidelity. Amen.
 
Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests