Aug. 26, 2018: 21st Sunday B
Aug. 26, 2018: 21st Sunday B
Many followed Jesus wherever he went because they saw amazing signs and wonders, especially the miracle of multiplication of loaves and fish. His teaching, however, became difficult to accept for many. He claimed to be the bread of heaven, the very life of God given as spiritual food to sustain their journey to their promised homeland with the Father in heaven. Jesus did not leave any middle ground for his hearers. They must either accept his word as divine or reject it as the claim of an imposter. Finally, when Jesus told them that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood, most were incredulous and found it hard to believe. With exasperation they said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Many of them decided to stop following Jesus to go back to their former way of life. Jesus’ aim was not to push everyone away but to feed them with himself, and many rejected the entire notion. We can almost hear Jesus’ sadness and hurt when he said to the twelve disciples, “Do you also want to leave?" Peter responded, "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." While Peter may have had doubts of what the future may hold, his trust was in Jesus.
Today, we can hear the echo of Jesus asking us, “Do you also want to leave me?” Do you also want to leave me after finding out that my successors of apostles and priests have done heinous crimes? Do you also want to leave me because I am the voice in the world that values indissolubility of marriage and sanctity of life while the rest of the world is hostile to my values? If we have the ears to hear and eyes to see Jesus, we can almost sense his sorrows and anguish as many have left him.
We might wonder how can an all powerful God experience such human emotions. In fact, Jesus has appeared to saints such as St. Margaret Mary Alacoque to reveal his heart. He told St. Margaret Mary that despite pouring his extravagant love by giving us his very heart in the Eucharist, what he received in return were coldness, indifference, irreverence, and ingratitude. He said to St. Margaret, "Behold this Heart which loves so much yet is so little loved. Do me the kindness, you at least, of making up for all their ingratitude, as far as you can."
What is our response? Are we ready to console his Heart which is so neglected? As we receive the Holy Eucharist at mass or go to adoration, try to a glance with love at Jesus’ Heart in the Eucharist, seeing him as he truly is and not as a piece of bread. When we gaze at the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, we should see him not as a vending machine in which we expect to get our requests automatically granted. Instead, we should see him as a living and real friend with a human heart, who experiences hurt when people are cold, ungrateful, and afraid of him. Another way of consoling Jesus is to love with patience and compassion those who come to us. True love requires sacrifice, overcoming selfish desires, wants, and beliefs. When someone comes to us seeking consolation, we must realize that we are ministering to the Lord. Let us remember to be the hands and feet of our Lord, and to see our Lord in all whom we meet.
