“Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68)
Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God to the crowds that followed him (see Lk 9:11). He used simple words, parables taken from everyday life, and yet his words held a special fascination. The crowds were spellbound by his teaching, “for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Mt 7:29). Likewise, when the temple guards sent to arrest him were asked by the chief priest and Pharisees why they did not bring him in, they replied: “Never before has anyone spoken like this one” (Jn 7:46).
The Gospel of John also speaks about the conversations filled with light that Jesus had with individuals like Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. He explained matters in depth to his apostles. He spoke openly of the Father and of the things of Heaven, and with them he no longer used figures of speech (see Jn 16:25–29). His words were convincing, and the apostles did not retreat even when they did not fully understand his words or when those words seemed too demanding.
Some of his disciples remarked, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” (Jn 6:60) when they heard him say that he would give them his body to eat and his blood to drink. Seeing that “many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him,” Jesus said to the Twelve: “Do you also want to leave?” (Jn 6:66-67)
Peter, now bound to him forever — having been fascinated by the words he had heard spoken from the day he first met Jesus — answered on behalf of everyone:“Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Peter had understood that the words of his teacher were different from those of other teachers. Their words were coming from an earthly source, belonging to and having their destiny on earth. The words of Jesus are spirit and life because they come from Heaven: they are a light that descends from above, and their power comes from above. His words have a wealth and depth that other words do not have, no matter how philosophical, political or poetic they are. His are “words of eternal life” because they contain, express and communicate the fullness of that life that never ends, since it is the very life of God.
Jesus is risen and lives, and his words, although spoken in the past, are not mere memories. They are words addressed to all of us today and to every person of every time and culture. They are universal, eternal words.
The words of Jesus! They must have been his greatest “art.” The Word who spoke in human words — what content, what intensity, what expression, what a voice!
Basil, one of the great Fathers of the Church, recounted how “one day, almost as if waking up from a long sleep, I beheld the marvelous light of the truth contained in the Gospel and discovered the vanity of the wisdom of this world.”‘
In a letter of May 9, 1897, Therese of Lisieux wrote: “At times, when I read certain spiritual treatises … my poor little spirit tires easily. I close the scholarly book that breaks my head to pieces and dries up my heart and take in my hands the sacred Scriptures. Then everything lights up: just one word opens my soul to infinite horizons, and reaching perfection seems easy.”‘
Yes, divine words fully satisfy a spirit that is made for the infinite; they illuminate the mind and one’s whole being as well because they are light, love and life. They impart peace — that peace that Jesus calls his own: “my peace” — even in moments of bewilderment and anguish. They give full joy even in the midst of suffering that at times can torment the soul. They give strength, especially in the face of dismay and discouragement. They give a sense of freedom because they open the path to the truth.
“Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
The Word of Life this month reminds us that the only teacher we want to follow is Jesus, even when his words might seem to be hard or too demanding. This means, among other things, to be honest at work, forgive, put ourselves at the service of the others rather than to think only of ourselves, remain faithful to our families, assist terminally ill persons without giving in to thoughts of euthanasia.
There are many “teachers” around, inviting us to adopt easy solutions, to make compromises. We want to listen to our only Teacher and to follow him, the only one who speaks the truth and who has “words of eternal life.” In this way we too can repeat Peter’s words.
During this Lenten season, as we prepare for the great celebration of the Resurrection, we should really enroll in the school of the one Teacher and become his disciples. What should come to life in us is a passionate love for the word of God. Let us be ready to welcome the word when we hear it proclaimed; let us read it, study it, meditate on it.
But above all we are called to put it into practice as Scripture itself teaches: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves” (Jas 1:22). That is why each month we focus on one word in particular, letting it enter us, form us, act in us. By living out one word of Jesus we live out the whole Gospel, because in each of his words he gives all of himself, he himself comes to live in us.
It is like a drop of divine wisdom from the Risen one that slowly sinks in and replaces our ways of thinking, choosing and acting in all the circumstances of our lives.
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 20:17-28
17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, 19 and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zeb’edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; 28 even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 23:1-12
1 Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. 4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. 11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; 12 whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 6:36-38
36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
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