Despite the threat of
a tropical storm, we planned on celebrating every single one of our eight
scheduled Masses this weekend. We had no
idea how bad the storm would be, but if someone showed up to pray, Mass would be
celebrated. Every Mass was indeed
celebrated. They were simple and brief
yet solemn. There was no music yet the
sounds of nature outside the church provided a moving soundtrack. More importantly, every Mass was celebrated
with great faith by the people who came, which is what today’s readings, were
all about:
“We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the
Holy One of God.” (John 6:69)
You have no idea how moving it is for me as a priest to see
all of you at Mass today. Last night
when I went to bed, I thought I would be celebrating Mass for the statues
because I really had no idea how bad the storm was going to be. Your very presence here despite the wind and
the rain is a great act of faith. You
made a decision this morning that in spite of whatever obstacles nature threw
your way, you were determined to come to Mass to thank the Lord for his
goodness. He has spared us from this
storm and we gather to give thanks.
Besides, as St. Peter says at the end of today’s gospel, “To Whom shall
we go?” It is awesome to see nature on
display particularly during a storm, but it is only here that we hear the words
of eternal life and consume the bread of eternal life.
Yes, today you made a decision of faith just like Peter did
in the gospel and Joshua made in the first reading. Joshua gathered the people of Israel whom he
now lead after Moses had died and basically told them that it was time for them
to decide if they truly wanted to serve the Lord or not. Many of the Israelites, despite having seen God’s
power first hand after being freed from Egypt, were still opting for false gods
which caused Joshua to draw a line in the sand and basically tell them “who are
you going to follow?” This prompts
Joshua to utter one of my mother’s favorite bible quotes: “As for me and my
household, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).” My mother had this verse on a magnet on our
fridge when I was a kid. The people of
Israel had reached a crossroads in their faith journey just as the disciple did
at the end of today’s gospel. Jesus sees
many of his followers leave because they found his teachings too harsh, so the
Lord turns to the twelve and asks them if they were also going to leave. Peter speaks for all of them when he basically
surrenders to Jesus and says “To Whom shall we go?” But he takes it a step further when he says,
“We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of
God.” That word “convinced” is what
really floors me. The twelve see no
other path in their lives but a path with the Lord. Their conviction is what is exemplary. It is the same conviction that each of you
demonstrated by braving the elements and making your way to Mass this day. May we always have the conviction of Joshua
and Peter to always opt for the Lord for only He has the words of eternal life.
