21st Sunday in Ordinary Time: To Whom Else Shall We Go?

During these times of pandemic, in the face of utter misery and depression, many found themselves scraping through their resource of faith, even questioning their faith in God. Many felt like God is not at work in the world right now, that God has abandoned us to our sufferings and torments. But if God has abandoned us, to whom else shall we go? Earthly and religious leaders who present themselves as modern day messiahs even in the midst of the pandemic? The politicians who promise to liberate us from all our ills? The economic system and its promise of prosperity and wealth for everyone? Science and its promise to give an explanation for everything that we need to know?

In today’s gospel of the 21st Sunday in ordinary time, many of the followers of Jesus found it difficult to believe in Jesus. They found Jesus’ statement (which we have been hearing in the past few Sundays’ gospels) about himself as the bread who came down from heaven and will give them eternal life if they eat of his bread and drink of his blood, as too abstract, hard to understand let alone accept.

“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”

As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.  Jesus then turned to the Twelve and asked them,

“Do you also want to leave?”

Simon Peter, speaking in behalf of the other disciples, answered him,

“Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.”

The same situation confronted Joshua in the first Reading today. Joshua challenged the people of Israel to make a choice. Addressing the assembly of all the tribes at Shechem he says,

“If it does not please you to serve the LORD,
decide today whom you will serve,
the gods your fathers served beyond the River
or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling.”

The decision that Joshua challenged the people to make at Shechem has parallel with the choice confronting the disciples after the discourse of Jesus in John 6. The challenge “Choose this day whom you will serve” parallels “Will you also go away?” and the response “We will serve the Lord, for he is our God” parallels Peter’s response, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

In today’s world where everyone seemed to want an easy life and instant solution to their problems, many find Christianity a difficult and sometimes unrealistic religion. Many could not understand and accept a lot of Jesus’ words especially his sermon on the mount, the words of the beatitudes and his new law of love even loving one’s enemies. Many see these teachings of Jesus as impractical and defeatist.

Indeed, following Christ is hard and costly. Becoming true Christian will cost us everything, even our dear life. Following Jesus demands self-denial and taking up of one’s cross. In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor and theologian who was killed by the German dictator Hitler, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”[1] Christ gives us grace but it is not “cheap grace,” Bonhoeffer adds. God’s grace is not a “grace without price; grace without cost,” or “grace without discipleship.” God’s grace is “costly grace.”

But God’s costly grace will give us the most precious reward–eternal life. No other person or thing in this world can grant us this. This is what Peter realized early in his journey of following Jesus: Jesus is the only one who can give meaning to his life. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Where else can we go? To whom else shall we go? Many in history have tried to find the meaning and fulfilment in life in following kings, dictator; in seeking position, power, and prestige; in possessing wealth and luxury and in experiencing pleasure and instant gratification. But many of them are now forgotten and led a life without experiencing true peace, joy and meaning in life.

In the Eucharist, we celebrate our faith in Jesus who is the only one who can give us fulfilment and peace.  In the Eucharist, we celebrate our eternal life in Jesus which we already experience here and now even if its full realization will be experienced in God’s kingdom at the end of time.

[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

I am passionate about the intersection between new media and technology. I continue to research and apply new media in theology and vice-versa. I am also a fan of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and her continuing relevance in today's digital world.
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