Given the many clouds on our spiritual landscape, can we make a life-defining commitment to discipleship of the Lord Jesus.

Twenty First Sunday in OT  B 2018

This past Friday, I was at St. Paul’s Church in Brooklyn officiating at the wedding of my 2^nd cousin Connor Oberst and Flor de Jesus.  In the words of the marriage vows, Connor and Flor committed themselves to love and honor each other in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health all the days of their lives.  The 39 words of the marriage vows are a life-defining commitment.

What are the significant commitments of your life -- to your family, to your spouse, to your children, to your parents?  What are the commitments of your life?

As a priest for 50 years, I renew my life-defining commitment every year.  More rightly speaking., I renew my commitment each day to serve God’s people as an ordained priest of the church.

Today's Scripture readings call us to make our commitment.

In the first Scripture reading today, Joshua gathered his people and called them to make a solemn commitment.  They were to proclaim publicly whether they would worship the Lord who freed and fed them and brought them to the Promised Land.  They swore enthusiastically that they would always serve the Lord their God.  Now it is true that their track record of obedience to the Lord their God is a little checkered as in ours in striving to live out our Gospel commitment to love God and t love one another.

In the Gospel, when Jesus finished explaining that He was the Bread for the life of the world, the majority of his disciples gave a “thumbs down” and were not ready to make a life defining commitment to follow Jesus.  It was too much for them to accept.

Perhaps they would have preferred a God who stayed in heaven, and they could worship Him from a safe distance.  But Jesus was asking his disciples to consider a new way of understanding God.  Jesus said: “I am the Bread of life…Whoever eats this Bread will live forever and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world…Jesus is God…The Eucharist is the real presence of Christ, the real presence of God.

The commitment Jesus made to us gives us an example of the commitment Jesus is now asking of us.  Jesus proclaimed Himself as a God who gave Himself in self-giving love.  Jesus is asking us to make a self-giving commitment to our discipleship.

For the first disciples, many found this commitment “over the top.”  The evangelist tells us: “As a result many of his disciples returned to their former way of life.”

Then Jesus said to the original twelve: “Do you also want to leave?”

Peter responded: “Lord, you have the words of eternal life.”

In the gospels for the last five Sundays, we have been contemplating Jesus as the Bread of Life, are we ready now to make a life-defining commitment to place Jesus at the center of our lives?

Can we make a life-defining commitment to Jesus when we live with many clouds on the spiritual landscape?  Even as Pope Francis journeys to Ireland this weekend for the world meeting of families, we are still trying to come to grips with the priest sex abuse scandal that is so demoralizing.  Some priests have abandoned their commitment to safeguard the precious dignity of our children.  What do we do with our anger and our sense of being betrayed?

Can we still come together as a body of believers and come before the Lord to be honest and transparent in our commitment to serve the Lord and all of God’s people?

What is our commitment to Jesus?  What is our life defining spiritual commitment? 

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave us his legacy saying: “Do this in memory of me.”  I invite you to reflect on the words of Jesus “Do this.”

Yes, we “do this in memory of me” as we celebrate the Eucharist Sunday after Sunday after Sunday.  I also want us to see the full measure of the words of Jesus.  It is not enough to be a Sunday pew-sitter.

When Jesus says, “Do this,” He is referring to his whole life and mission.  We are to witness to the mission of Jesus of healing, forgiving, including others, challenging wrongful authority, asking time to go away and pray, and serving others by washing feet.

Can we embrace the mission of Jesus as our life-defining commitment of discipleship of the Lord Jesus?

In celebrating the Eucharist, Jesus is blessed and broken and given to us for our salvation and for the life of the world.  In our commitment to Jesus, we are blessed and broken open so that we can give and share ourselves to feed the world.

As I began this homily., I talked about the life-defining commitment of Connor and Flor.  We celebrated with a rehearsal and a wedding and a wedding reception.  This commitment was celebrated with much love and joy.  How do we compare the life-defining marriage commitment with the life-defining commitment of our discipleship of Jesus?

Without doubt, the life-defining commitment of marriage is a beautiful expression of Connor and Flor’s commitment to discipleship of Jesus.

Just as the marriage commitment is much more that the joyful celebration of a wedding weekend, it is for better or for worse, in sickness and in health for the days of their life.

‘So too, our discipleship and our relationship to Jesus is demanding as well as joyful.  Our understanding of who God is much more than a heavenly deity.  Jesus is present in the tabernacle of our Church and Jesus is present in the tabernacle of each and every person on the planet.

Are we ready to renew our personal, public commitment to Christ?  If so, we might use the Profession of Faith we are about to say as a solemn affirmation of our commitment.  We could allow the procession at Communion to serve as a communal reenactment of the pledge Joshua called forth from hIs people.  Even making the sign of the cross with full awareness can reinforce our conscious decision to belong to Christ.

Have a Blessed Day.