John 6:44-51 Taught By God

John 6:44-51 Taught By God
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Yesterday evening I was speaking to a young man who had some pretty serious questions with regards to his girlfriends, our faith and his business. I was surprised about the faith part. It is not surprising that a 20's something young men would be into girlfriends and wealth, but to also be interested in his faith was a pleasant surprise. He told me about himself and afterwards asked me to be honest with him. "Father, am I sinning?" I told him yes, for very obvious reasons. This one was an easy one. It didn't take a theologian to figure this one out. He continued, "If I am sinning, then why would God bless me with a highly successful start up company?" I responded, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God's" (Mt 22:15-22). There is no connection between wealth and God's love! The Lord is not interested in how much money you make or in how much money you have. It has never been a sign of God's favor! Does he not say (Mt 5:45), "The Lord allows the rain to fall on the good and evil?" The Lord is not interested in what you carry in your wallet but what you carry in your heart, soul, mind and body. This is our faith. Everything we have is to be used for good and holy purposes, even money. If the Lord has allowed me to be wealthy, then I am to share it with others. But wealth does not eliminate sin. If anything, it may multiply it. Again, remember what the Lord said, "It is so hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (cf. Mt 19:23)

The early Church grew quickly in numbers and in distance. It is remarkable how the Good News was so well received - regardless of national boundaries, ethnicity, social structures or classes, or even intellectual ability. Every day, hundreds were added. Why? What did they know that we have forgotten? Or what did they have that we don't have? What made Christianity so attractive? I believe the answer is quite simple: Christians were different. They lived, talked and worked differently. They were easily recognizable. They did not allow themselves to be absorbed by any empire; not even by the empires of Public Schools, College Campuses, Social Networking, Peer Groups, News Networks, Talk Shows, Websites, Gallup Polls, or Political Parties. The Christians of old were not interested in finding their place in society but rather making it.

They were called to lead and not be led; and they did so in every single aspect of their lives. They looked for opportunities to share their faith, and the Lord provided! They were not loud or obnoxious, sarcastic and crude, vulgar and obscene. They were filled with the Holy Spirit; filled with wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord (cf. Is 11:2-3). They were not Hippies. What is not of the Spirit dies a sudden death. They were not Idealists or Utopians! They were a sign of contradiction. They were patient and strong willed, humble and tenacious.

Talking to some converts, I can honestly say that the Church in America still draws thousands of converts to the faith because of our ancestors - the early Church Fathers, the lives of the Saints, the holy men and women of our past. We are still riding high on their coattails! How sickening it must be for the Saints to witness a brother or sister, in the faith, attending Mass and living like a pagan! How St. John Vianney, St. Francis de Sales or St. Ignatius, men who did so much to reform the priesthood, must be rolling in his grave for the selfishness of their brother priests! How saddening it must be for the Blessed Virgin Mary to witness one of us receive her son in the Eucharist and desecrate it by our sins! She would never have allowed a neighbor to hold her baby if they were bent on harming him.

Our eldest brothers and sisters ate manna in the desert and died. Our brothers and sisters ate the bread of life and lived the fullness of the faith. We are called to be different and to be proud of our difference. We are a part of this world but no longer of the world. We have no one on earth to impress. What is to prevent my living the faith? Myself?

May we make of our lives something greater than ourselves. May the Lord bless us by yielding fruit that will endure forever. May we never bring shame to ourselves or to our Christian name. May the Lord give us the strength and courage to never copy the behavior and customs of this world, but allow him to transform us into a new being; changing the way we think and live our lives, for we are His and have been taught by Him. Amen. (cf. Rm 12:2)