“TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?”

 “TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?”
CMO RETREAT
ST ANN, PPL, LAGOS
Saturday June 24^th, 2023
(Jn 6:68)

The verse is taken from Jesus’ teaching about His Body and Blood, saying, “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53). It was a difficult teaching for the people, a deep mystery that was hard for them to understand. Many of them got confused, for they were holding on to the technical, rational and logical understanding of the message, in addition to their cultural and religious prohibition on eating blood (Lev 17:10). While many of the Jews outrightly did not believe Him, but many of disciples, who earlier believed in Him turned their back on Him (Jn 6:64-65). However, Jesus did not bend His teaching to suit them nor begged them to stay, instead He turned to the twelve apostles and said to them, “What about you, do not want to go away too?” Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:67-69).

 

In our society today, there is so much confusion in every aspect of our lives. We are facing economic crisis, socio-political crisis, family life and marriage crisis are increasing. The new age moral issues are intoxicating our younger generation. Can men of this generation confidently claim that they are the head of their families or they have been reduced to mere ‘bread winners’? There is a new wave of spirituality spreading across, so loud, so exciting, so compelling but with little content and value; bringing little or no conversion and union with God. In the midst of these confusion and attack on the mysteries of faith, ‘To whom shall we go?’ It may be easy to take the shortcut and walk away and remain in our self-enclosed ideas and ways of life. This can lead to frustration and depression as we continue to circle around the confusions of life. Some others have settled for the most convenient and easy approaches to life and faith, rejecting every imprint of the Cross of Christ, they get drowned in the euphoria a life of pleasure and affluence that is not stable nor enduring. Thus, we have people of this generation, who easily walk away at the slightest difficulty or discomfort. Lacking patience, they wander like sheep without shepherd, dwelling only on the surface of the message and events around them, instead of exploring deeper to understand the mysteries of life.

 

The Christian fathers of today must rise to the challenge. We have the example of Simon Peter and the other apostles to go by. They equally did not have an in-depth knowledge of what Jesus was teaching about the Eucharist. But they stood on the existing relationship of faith they had with Him, and placed their trust in Him over and above their ego. Their vulnerability at placing their faith in Christ became their courage in the face of the confusion of their lack of understanding of the mysteries. Knowledge gives us power—power to control what we have mastered. But for the apostles who remained, confidence in Jesus became their knowledge, for they have come to know that He is the all-knowing! Thus, the act of choice-making is already decided in Christ Jesus. That means the Christian Fathers must have confidence in Jesus as Peter did. This is the assurance they have in the midst of the confusions and crisis of our time. If we are not resolute in Jesus, how can we be resolute in the face of the difference voices that is appealing to us! This is so important especially in the face of the huge family responsibilities father are expected to undertake.

 

“To whom shall we go?” echoes our yearning for understanding of the present situations each of us experiences, and it exposes our incapacity to resolve perfectly all the crisis before us and ahead of us. However, as Christ’s faithful, it becomes a rhetorical question since we have already acknowledged Jesus as the answer. Therefore, “To whom shall we go?” becomes an expression of our reaffirmation of faith and trust in Jesus as the only we must follow. It becomes important that Christian Fathers of today must re-align their steps to follow Jesus more closely, despite the many broad and easy ways the world suggests. The worldly alternatives do not give lasting solution, instead the end up creating more confusion and they lead to destruction. The Christian Father who imitates Jesus closely becomes a good guardian and bread winner of his family, leading like a good shepherd on the pathway of love, peace, forgiveness, unity and progress. Such a man must avoid the distraction of the essay ways that lead to ruin, such as anger, violence, life of pleasure, laziness, prayerlessness, etc. Hence, “To whom shall we go?” echoes our rejection of the easy ways that are not of Christ, no matter how popular or alluring they may be.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

June 24, 2023.