18 November, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

Have We Ever Abandoned Jesus?

1. St. John the Evangelist relates how, after the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus Christ wished to make the people understand that He would give men bread which would be infinitely more precious, namely, Himself, the bread of life, the living bread that has come down from heaven. Since the crowd which surrounded Him still failed to understand, He added: “I am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone eat of this bread he shall live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

At this stage, however, the Jews began to argue with one another. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus endeavoured to remove all doubt by His reply. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you… He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, abides in me and I in him. As the living Father has sent me, and as I live because of the Father, so he who eats me, he also shall live because of me.” (Cf. John 6:48-58)

When they had heard these words in which Jesus foretold the sublime miracle of the Blessed Eucharist, some of the disciples began to murmur among themselves. “This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?” (John 6:61) When Jesus saw that some of His closest followers were drawing away from Him, He turned to the twelve Apostles. “Do you also wish to go away?” He asked. It was then that Simon Peter made his memorable reply. “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast words of everlasting life…” (John 6:68-69)

We also may experience at times a sense of uncertainty concerning the words of Jesus Christ. There are such tremendous mysteries in the Christian religion. But a religion which contained no mysteries could scarcely be true. There are mysteries of nature surrounding us and within us. How can we imagine that there are no mysteries in God, the supreme and most perfect Being? Could it be possible for our petty intellects fully to comprehend God in Himself and in His revelation? Let us bow our heads, therefore, before the mysteries of the Divinity. Let us adore God and repeat with St. Peter: We cannot go away from You, O God, because You have the words of everlasting life.

2. The Apostles did not wish to abandon Jesus in theory, but in practice they did so. Remember the tragic scene in Gethsemane. One Apostle had gone to betray Jesus as if He were a criminal, and to sell Him as if He were a slave. The others were asleep. Jesus, alone and deserted, was praying for ungrateful humanity. He perspired blood and prepared to drink the bitter chalice of humiliation and of the most ignominious form of death. The hired soldiers arrived and arrested Him as a seducer of the people. What was the reaction of the Apostles who had so often promised to be faithful to their Master until death? The Evangelist tells us, “Then all the disciples left him and fled.” (Mt. 26:56)

3. Let us examine ourselves. Are we faithful to Jesus only when everything is going well, when the cross is not too heavy, and when we are not too strongly tempted to sin? There is not much credit in being faithful when everything is easy. We must remain so at all times, even when fidelity requires some great sacrifice. Did not Jesus sacrifice Himself completely for our sakes? Is it not just that we should continue to be generous to our Saviour until death?

If we go away from Jesus, Who is the way, the truth, and the life, our minds will be in darkness and our hearts will grow lifeless. Perhaps we have sometimes wandered away from Jesus and have experienced this darkness and remorse. Only when we are with Jesus is there any purpose and goal in our lives. Only with Him can we hope to have the strength to reach that goal. Only He can dry our tears and assuage our suffering. Only when we are with Jesus have the little joys of this life any meaning, for they are a foretaste of the everlasting happiness of Heaven.