Be Heroic!

18^th Sunday in the Ordinary Time

August 2, 2015

John 6:24-35

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you (John 6:27).”

 

When St. Ignatius of Loyola was recovering from his knee injury inflicted during the battle of Pamplona, he was able to read the life of Jesus, as well as courageous saints, like of St. Francis and Dominic. As he was pondering on their deeds and words, he discovered the initial stage of his own spirituality. Then on, the grace of God began revolutionizing his life, and he radically shifted from the pursuit of his own glory to the quest for the glory of God. Soon enough, together with his first companions, he formed the Society of Jesus, well-known as the Jesuits.

The story of St. Ignatius and the multitude of great saints serve as inspiration for all of us. These holy men and women responded to Jesus’ invitation to leave everything behind and follow Him in this radical path. Many were brutally martyred for the love of Him. Others were totally abandoning everything they had, and committed themselves for service of others.  

Yet, why were they insane enough to heed the arduous call? I believe today’s Gospel sheds us a little light. People were looking for Jesus because Jesus was able to miraculously multiply the bread and they had just enjoyed a fantastic feeling of being filled. Jesus, however, reminded them that He came not to simply satisfy their physiological need, but fundamentally to provide a profound answer to our happiness. He offers us all the Bread of Life, which is actually Himself. He is the Food that will not perish and cheers us with everlasting joy.

This is going back to our quest for true happiness. Paradoxically, to achieve this joy, we need to forsake the search for our own glory. It is in losing ourselves, our pursuit for own glory, and making a profound conversion to God and for His glory, we may taste the sweetness of the Bread of Life. Surely, this is not easy. The world provides comfort that meets our immediate and basic human needs: bodily pleasure, emotional satisfaction and pride. But, true happiness does not dwell here, and we are called to transcend these things, choose Jesus and follow Him. In the words of Joseph Ratzinger, who later on became Pope Benedict XVI, the world provides us a lot of comfort, but we are not made for comfort, we are made for greatness. We just settle for less if we stop in the comfort of this world.

The paradox continues, that as we are losing ourselves and in the words of Meister Eckhart, a German Dominican mystic, letting God be God in us, we discover that we become truly alive. As we opt for this heroic option, we definitely bump a rocky road, and even find ourselves lost, failed and frustrated. Yet, we must not easily give up, because these darkness moments are part of our journey home. Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP once argues that sometimes, we need to be lost, in order that we may found again, afresh and alive. As we are walking this way of the cross, we gradually discover the new meaning of life, find the fresh possibilities to love, and unlock the fullness of life. When we fully live our lives, we are truly able to glorify God. As St. Irenaeus of Lyon wrote, “the Glory of God is men truly live!”

  Every time, we say Amen to the Bread of Life and receive the Eucharist, we are invited to open ourselves to that heroic choices in our lives. A mother who decides to give her life for her newly born baby. A father who works so hard to provide the best life for his family, yet still find time to bring them to the Church and pray together. A poor faithful who refuses to abandon his faith despite various persecutions as well as tempting offers. Are you ready to make a heroic resolve to fully live and glorify the Lord?

For my Jesuit friends and brothers.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP