Bishop's Column | October 2019
“Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)
by Bishop A. Elias Zaidan
In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus is teaching his disciples about the Eucharist—the eating of his Flesh and drinking of his Blood. Some of his followers complained that it was a “hard teaching” and walked away from the Lord. Jesus turned to his Twelve Apostles and asked them, “Do you also wish to go away?” Peter answered for them saying, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
The last twenty years have been difficult for the Church and for us who make up the Body of Christ which is His Church. We have had to deal with scandal and shame for the sins and crimes of some of the clergy over many years. We have witnessed the public humiliation of cardinals and bishops, priests and deacons. The faith of some of us has been challenged and some have turned their backs on the Church. I am sure you know people who have rejected the Church just for this reason. Righteous indignation at what has been exposed is understandable and I, too, share this abhorrence along with many of you. It has weighed heavy on my mind and heart as well.
In the passage I cited at the beginning of this article, the faith of the disciples of Jesus was shaken over his claim that his Body is true food and that his Blood is true drink. Jesus was speaking of eating His Body and Blood. Today, we may fail to see just how difficult a teaching this was for Jesus’ followers because most of us have been raised in the Faith and this belief has been part of our lives for many years. But my purpose in using this Gospel passage is not to comment on the Holy Eucharist, but to reflect with you on St. Peter’s response to Jesus’ question, “Do you also wish to go away?”
I find comfort in the answer given by St. Peter, “Lord, to whom can we go?” This response is as relevant today as it was almost 2,000 years ago. Difficult times requires difficult decisions and difficult choices. We are living through difficult times and our faith is being challenged by many events. The full impact of all of this is yet to be seen. But we must hold on to our faith. St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina is often quoted as saying, “The most beautiful act of faith is the one made in darkness, in sacrifice and with extreme effort.” An “act of faith” is about making a decision. Faith is not about how we may feel on any given day, but about choosing to believe and choosing to trust.
The truth is that Jesus does have the words of eternal life and these words found in the Gospel of St. John have been preserved and handed down to us through the Church. The Church does not belong to any one of us. It is truly the Lord’s Church. We, the members of Christ’s Church, are certainly sinners who often fail to live up to our call to holiness, but the Church, who is also the “Bride of Christ”, continues to be the channel of divine grace and eternal life for us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that "all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is His Body.” (n. 846) In other words, without the Church there is no salvation. That is not to say, of course, that only members of the Church can be saved, but it is to say that all that is necessary for our salvation is found in the Church that Christ founded.
St. Peter is absolutely correct, “You have the words of eternal life.” The Church, founded by Christ, is the guarantor of the truth of these words. In our Divine Liturgy for the Dedication and Consecration of the Church Sunday (at the start of our new Church year in November), we say that Jesus “built the Church to be an invincible and secure fortress and a tower of salvation.” (Hoosoyo). As sinful human beings—of whatever rank or station in life—we falter, we fall, we fail. The Church does not.
As a Bishop of the Church, one of my tasks is to encourage the faithful and help all of you to “stay the course” and not to become discouraged, alienated or estranged from the “Rock” that is the Church. As the Catechism teaches us, the Church is truly the channel of our salvation. There is no other place to go. This special gift given to the Church is not dependent on the goodness or holiness of any individual, but on the holiness of the Son of the God. This is not the time to walk away from the Church. It is a time to become more serious about our faith, to be more reverent towards and more observant of our liturgical life, our prayer life and of our love for others. It is time to get involved, to help, to walk the journey of holiness, to reach out to others and invite them back to the Church.
In his first Epistle, the Apostle Peter tells us, “…sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." (1 Peter 3:15) That is one more thing that you can do. You can always be ready to explain your faith to others; to be ready to share your faith with others—especially within your own families.
So, as we are about to start a new Church Year, I ask you to renew your faith in the words of Jesus, to renew your commitment to His Holy and Apostolic Church and support one another in our Holy Faith. May God guide us and accompany us in this journey.