Do you also want to leave?

SABATO 2 MAY (Jn 6,60-69)

The Gospel must be announced in all its parts, without any bias. If the truth of Christ and Christ truth are not accepted, the missionary must go elsewhere: “Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words – go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town” (Mt 10,11-15). Missionary and truth of Christ, Christ Jesus and truth of the Father are one. Never can two things be done of them. Christ is welcomed, his truth is welcomed. His truth is not accepted, Christ the Lord is not welcomed. The truth of the missionary is welcomed, Christ is welcomed. We do not welcome Christ, we do not need to welcome his person. The missionary and the truth of Christ Jesus are one. They must never be separated.

Here is how Paul obeys this command of Jesus the Lord: “On the following Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. The word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium” (At 13,44-52).

Here is what Paul says about the children of his people who leave him and go away: “Well did the holy Spirit speak to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah, saying: ‘Go to this people and say: You shall indeed hear but not understand. You shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people; they will not hear with their ears; they have closed their eyes, so they may not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.’ Let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen” (At 28,23-28). You leave a people, you stay with the Word of Christ Jesus. Being with men, without the Word of Jesus, is of no use. Salvation is from truth, from the Word and from conversion to it.

Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Jesus is the truth, full truth of the Father on our earth. What He said in the Capernaum synagogue is Law for every one of his disciples. Whoever accepts this law of his remains with him. Whoever refuses to believe in he can also leave. He cannot declare the truth non-truth, nor can he have disciples who do not believe in his truth. To affirm his truth, he let himself be crucified. The crucifixion to the truth to remain in the truth is the only right way to remain with Him. In the name of the Twelve Simon remains because he believes that the Word of Jesus is the most pure truth of eternal life. The flesh is real flesh. The blood is real blood not for scientific proof – the spiritual body does not fall under science – but because it is the purest Word of the Son of God.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints make us be for the truth, to remain in the truth.