Gospel:
Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 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.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”
As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied 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.”
Gospel Trivia:
The teaching referred to as "being hard" is the previous verses just before this Gospel passage, specifically, John 6:46-51, where Jesus says "I am the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die."
Really? Eat Jesus as bread? Isn't this saying "hard to accept", even scandalous?
When we receive Jesus who is present in the Eucharistic host, then we encounter him in a personal way.
We become who we eat. We become like Jesus to others. We just don't do good, but we do good with Jesus' level of goodness as our standard.
This is radical teaching. This is why "many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him." But some of them stayed.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More (Makati: St. Paul's Publications, 1989), pp. 104-107.
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