Text: John 6:57-63 (see below)
Another feast day in our Advent journey to Christmas: Today we celebrate the life of Clement of Alexandria. A native of Athens, Clement converted to Christianity and became a leading scholar and teacher in the second century CE. He was a resident in Alexandria the leading intellectual capital of the Mediterranean world at the time. Clement followed his teacher Pantaenus as head of the Catechetical School in Alexandria sometime around 180 CE and effectively led the institute for some twenty years. What I found most intriguing about Clement was his ability to embrace and welcome non-Christians scholars and discover from them the truths of their learning. Clement’s most famous pupil was a man by the name of Origen who would become the leading theologian of his day.
At service yesterday, the preacher told a story of Maestro Erich Leinsdorf attending a performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute with his wife at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. The couple arrived at the theater in plenty of time, took their seats in the Parterre Box and awaited the overture. The conductor for the evening entered the pit, raised his baton, and began the overture. After about eight measures of music, Leinsdorf leaned over to his wife and said, “Let’s get out of here!”
That story reminded me of a portion of the Gospel lesson for today: “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” In essence – “Let’s get out of here!”
The sixth chapter of the Fourth Gospel is the longest of the book with some of the most difficult of all of Jesus’ teachings about the “bread of life”; “living bread”; and the eating of flesh and drinking of blood. These are complicated principles to say the least. It is not too difficult for us to understand why some persons who had enjoyed the meal Jesus had provided but could not figure out what he was talking about commented: “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”
What teachings of Jesus do I find difficult to understand? What sayings of the Master baffle me? Make me pause? Challenge me in such a way that I contemplate abandoning my walk with the Lord? Why is this so?
I have often said that Jesus’ teachings scare the life out of me for they confront the very basis of my being and call me to live in a way that blows up the nice neat orderly box that I have tried to set up for my life: “love your enemies”, “pray for those who persecute you”, “forgive seventy times seven”, “wash one another’s feet”, etc.
Yet, if I am faithful to the journey, dedicated to being open and learning new truths, I find that entering into the mystery of Jesus’ teaching shed new light on my life and how I am to live with other persons. I may not understand or like, for that matter, all that Jesus has to say. But every once and awhile I get a glimpse of the truth and clarity replaces vagueness.
What are you thinking? Drop me a line and let me know.
Love One Another – Brian
The God Encounter
Oscar Romero
People do not know themselves unless they have encountered God. That is why there are so many me-worshipers, so many arrogant people, and so many self-centered worshipers of false gods. They have not encountered the true God, so they have not seen God's true greatness.
Source: Homily of February 10 1980
John 6:57-63
Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
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