Fr Kevin Kilgore

There are few events in our world that change the course of history.

D-Day was one of them.

On June 6, 1944, … 156,000 Allied Troops stormed the beaches of Normandy. This operation would mark the beginning of the end of World War Two.

For three days, tens of thousands of young men – many barely 18 years of age – fought along the beaches of northern France, eventually pushing their way towards Paris.

Together, they would bring an end to Hitler and Nazi Germany, effectively changing the course of human history.

Though there are many lessons we can learn from their example, there is one, in particular, that applies to us today: Never give up.

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In the Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples a haunting question, “Do you also want to leave?” (John 6:66).

We might say, “Do you also want to give up?”

In a single day, Jesus’ swelling community of believers drops from 5,000 to 12, all because of his teachings.

We are now at the end of John’s Bread of Life discourse, in which Jesus describes himselfas the Bread of Life. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood,” he says, “has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:54).

Scandalized by this idea of consuming Christ’s flesh, many walk away in disbelief.

4,988 disciples to be exact.

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A similar phenomenon is happening in our Church today. People are leaving in droves.

But what makes our situation starkly different from the Gospel is the fact that we’ve not been scandalized by preaching the Truth like Jesus did; rather, we’ve been scandalized by the fact that some of our leaders entrusted with Christ’s authority on earth have abused it.

We’ve all seen the news. It’s the painful pink elephant in the room.

Though the Church has done great good, and many Saints have arisen in our midst, the Church has also mismanaged evil for decades, allowing wolves in sheepskin to breathe and operate in our midst.

And now we’re left feeling betrayed, angry, hurt, and confused.

So the question Jesus asked his disciples rings hauntingly true and relevant in our own hearts today: “Do we also want to leave?” (John 6:66).

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While I hope – and pray – that all of us will stay, we must be clear about why. What we are fighting for?

Jesus commanded us – his Church– to, “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This is our mission. This is why the Church exists.

We must remember that.

We have Good News to share with the world! Jesus died and was raised from the dead! And he promises to raise all of us up who have believed in him.

Even more, it is here – and only here – that we can receive his resurrected Body in the Eucharist.

We cannot allow the sins of others to distract us from this truth. Jesus even warned us about this.

In his own words, he says, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to that person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea” (Luke 17:1-2).

Jesus is aware that the weeds are growing with the wheat, even in his own Church. We who have been faithful, however, we who have hoped and believed in his message, will be saved.

But woe to those who’ve caused us scandal.

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Remember what happened on Omaha beach – history was forever changed.

Tens of thousands of young soldiers fought together to bring an end to World War Two. But for those who survived those initial days in Normandy, there was still another year of fighting to go.

Hitler wasn’t going down easily.

But our brothers never gave up. They fought until they won.

Similarly, there’s a long way for us to go before our Church is rid entirely of scandal.

But we cannot give up; we must continue to pray and push for reform. In particular, we must ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of wisdom to know what practical changes are needed in order for us to be most effective, and for the courage to make those changes happen.

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“Do you also want to leave?”

I hope and pray not. But if we choose to stay, then we must move forward together as a community of faith, united in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

In the words of Peter, whose own faith was challenged, “Lord, to whom shall we go; you have the words of everlasting life” (John 6:68).

 

 

Most, if not all of us, have been to Dunkin’ Donuts – after all, there’s one right across the street.

You know the smell. The air is almost damp, soaked in the smell of fresh coffee brewing, bagels toasting, and a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich warming in the microwave.

And then there are the donuts.

On a stressful day, I’m sure many of us have been tempted to walk in, order a dozen Boston Crèmes, just sit in the corner and scarf them down as if no one is looking!

The good news is they taste delicious. The bad news? Stepping on the scale the next morning, only to see we’ve gained at least three pounds.

The truth is, those donuts don’t simply disappear; something of them remains in us. The scale tells us so!

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Think of the Eucharist like a “Divine Donut.” Every time we receive it, something of Jesus remains in us.

The only difference is, we don’t gain weight; we gain eternal life.

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In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us plainly, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven…whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:51, 54).

Again, just as that Boston Crème donut remains in us long after we eat it, so Jesus remains in us forever. We cannot be separated from him.

And herein lies the promise of our own resurrection. Jesus was raised from the dead; therefore, everyone who eats his flesh in the Eucharist shall rise again, too.

Now that’s good news if I’ve ever heard it!

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But the other side of the coin is this – just as Jesus nourishes us, so we must nourish one another. As Saint Paul says, “Be imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1).

But how, concretely, do we do that? How can we nourish one another?

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Let’s consider our first reading. 

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Elijah is down in the dumps.

He fears for his life, so much so that he runs into the desert alone and cries out to God, “This is enough, O LORD, take my life!” (1 Kings 19:4).

That’s not the best thing to ask God for – to take your life– but at least Elijah prays in his distress!

And look at how God answers him. God sends him an angel to feed him and to comfort him. Strengthened by this angel’s presence, Elijah is able to get up and continue on his journey.

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In the same way, God sends us to comfort those in need.

How many of us know someone who feels like Elijah, like the walls are closing in? Perhaps it’s someone who’s being bullied at school or at work, someone who’s enduring a painful divorce, financial stress, poor health, or an addiction.

Or maybe it’s someone who’s struggling with low self-esteem and just needs a friend.

Will we be that affirming voice, that listening ear, that needed hug to help them continue on their journeys?

Will we nourish them as Jesus nourishes us?

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Remember those Boston Crème donuts – every time we eat one, something of that donut remains in us. The scale tells us so.

In the same way, every time we receive the Eucharist, something of Jesus remains in us. We cannot be separated from him.

But just as Jesus nourishes us in the Eucharist and strengthens us on our journeys, so he asks us to nourish one another with love and concern.

Who, then, might we care for this week?

 

How many of us have heard Bruce Springsteen’s famous song, “Everybody’s got a hungry heart?”

Millions can sing along, because we know it’s true. Everybody’s got a hungry heart.

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But not everybody knows how to satisfy it.

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This is why the crowds are following Jesus in today’s Gospel – like all of us, they’re hungry. And they’re wondering if he can satisfy them.

Fully aware of their desires, he says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35).

Jesus promises the crowds – and all of us gathered here this morning – that if we listen to his teachings and follow his example, then we will be satisfied.

But why is that? How can Jesus satisfy us?

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Because he is love – and that’s what we all hunger for in the end, love.

As Saint Paul says, “If I do not have love…I am nothing…. I am a resounding gong or a clashing symbol” (1 Corinthians 13: 1-2).

Without love we will be forever hungry.

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This is the point that Paul’s making in our second reading.

He’s writing to a group of newly converted Christians, urging them to remember the teachings of Jesus – to remember how to love – instead of retreating to their former ways of life, when they indulged in selfish and sinful behavior.

That will not satisfy them – or us – in the end.

“Put away the old self of your former way of life,” Paul says. “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new self” (Ephesians 4: 22-24).

In a word, put on love.

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The Native Americans have an interesting way of describing this tension between our “old self” and our “new self.”

They say there’s a battle happening inside all of us between two wolves. One wolf is evil. It feeds on the “old self,” on sinful desires such as lust, greed, anger, jealousy, pride, and selfishness.

The other wolf is good. It feeds on the “new self”, on healthy desires such as forgiveness, honesty, generosity, patience, and kindness.

We cannot feed both wolves; only one will win. The question is, “Which one is it?”

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The one we feed.

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Which wolf am I feeding?

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Ultimately, that’s a question we answer in our daily lives; every decision we make feeds one of those two wolves.

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Everybody’s got a hungry heart.

And Jesus tells us how to satisfy it. We must feed that good wolf within us by loving our neighbor and our God without counting the cost. It’s the only way we will ever be satisfied.

Still the choice is ours.

Which wolf will you feed?