Reflections

	21st Sunday Ordinary (B)/Lord whom shall we go.
	Jos 24:1-18/ Ps 34:2-21/ Eph 5:21-32/John 6:60-69

	Introduction
	The popular song “Do you know where you‘re going to?” is full of hope. It asks us about the things that we hope for and reminds us to look to the future with hope. But now that we are facing many hardships like war, terrorism and disasters both natural and man-made, we have to pause and re-think the direction that this world is leading us into. We need to ask the same question, do we really know where we are going to?

	Oftentimes the real motivation deep within ones heart matter’s most
	Background
	It is very easy to answer that question if we still have trust and confidence to our leader. If we still believe that he can still lead us to a better life. Otherwise the experiences of crisis and challenges in life can create doubts to our future.
	a)	In the first reading, God invited his people in the Old Testament to become his partner in a covenant. Joshua, the leader of God’s people after the death of Moses understood the importance of this covenant. He challenged the people: “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve… as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua had made his decision.
	b)	In today’s Gospel, the disciples thought that Jesus was unaware of the negative reactions of the people to his strong teaching. In fact many people already made the decision to leave. For them this message of Jesus was just too much. “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you shall not have life within you.” His apostles were afraid that his mission to change the world would stall if it loses its grass root’s base. They want to convince Jesus to tone things down. They think that it was time for Jesus to become more politically practical and give the people what they wanted to hear.
	c)	But Jesus was firm. He was not interested in compromising the truth. He was not incline to eliminate the gift of the Eucharist because it would take a great deal of faith to accept this belief. When the disciples reported the reaction to his teaching on the Bread of Life to him, his answer was simply: “Do you want to leave me too.” Then Peter made his greatest profession of faith: “Where else are we to go, Lord? You alone have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and we are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
	Reflections
	a)	Man is always searching for meaning. He may have all the material things in this world but if he can not find meaning in them, they are worth nothing. Without meaning, “you can feel alone in a crowd.” No wonder many rich people and famous celebrities committed suicide or fell into drugs, because of meaninglessness in life. But there are those who have not much but can still survive, I think the words of the philosopher Victor Frankl is true, “he who has “why” to live can bear almost any “how.””

		Peter did not find meaning in catching fish. He found the real meaning in being with Jesus (by “catching men”) No wonder why Peter has the courage to say in today’s Gospel, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

		In fact how can you find meaning in temporal things if you know that they will not lasts? Since only the love of God can lasts until eternity. Therefore it is in believing in God, and by giving food to the hungry and extending charity to the poor that we can find the ultimate meaning and satisfaction in life. In the words of St Augustine, ‘My heart is restless until it rests in thee.”

	b)	In the second reading we heard about the beautiful advice of St Paul to married couples. But sometimes it is also very hard to give counseling to the widows and widowers for no kind words can ever replace the love and sweetness of their late husbands/wives. No amount of words can filled up that emptiness deep within; aloneness that could lead to loneliness and loneliness that could lead to fear. I always tell them to keep themselves closer to God and to the activities of the Church.

		And this could happen not only to them, but even to any of us. Even how hard we try to be happy we always come the point that we feel there is “something missing,” “something is lacking.” It happened to Peter and to the rest of the apostles and it could also happen to all of us. But we all believe that only God - with his ineffable love - can fill up that “vacuum” deep within our hearts.

	c)	Faith is a decision. Any decision takes a risk. And we usually take risk only for the things that we believe are more valuable. We also believe that the bigger the risk you entered into, the greater the value of the reward you deserve.

		Peter sacrificed many things already. He gave up his wife and children; he left behind his boat and nets, and followed Christ totally. He even surrendered his security, the words of Jesus in the last two Sundays were very strong, “eating flesh and drinking blood.” Those words can endanger even his life. But nonetheless, he decided to stay, and continue believing in Jesus.

		What are the things that you already sacrificed for Christ? And what else can you still afford to sacrifice for him? And how far can you go walking with him?
	Conclusion
	His apostles were ready to follow Christ up to the Cross. By counting all our blessings and his goodness to us, I hope we can also do the same for Christ because we believe that ultimately…he is really worth dying for.