“The Flesh is Useless” (John 6:63b)

We like to present ourselves to the world in a way the conforms to its standards of beauty. The ungodly world has disoriented the notion of beauty from something which is divine into something that is manipulated by itself. It has reduced beauty and meaningfulness to merely being sexy, being hot, being complicated, or being sophisticated.

None of these mundane definitions could ever come close to the original divine essence of beauty. Beauty is a God-given gift which in turn is cultivated by a faithful connection with God. This God-given and God-connected beauty brings about radiance in physical appearance and good moral character.

Humans as we are, we have the tendency to find fulfilment, security, meaning and refuge from physical and material things. We oftentimes overlook the fact that we are composed of body and soul. To put it more correctly, our souls have bodies.

This beings said, it comes natural for us to focus alone on our earthly needs and forget our needs for eternity. Let us be like the Israelites in our first reading who were confronted with the question: whom shall we serve? Which god will we love the most? The gods of the Amorites which are lifeless statues and which does not represent any divine reality in themselves.

The problem lies when we worship the gods of our own needs which are lifeless and very materialistic. The problem lies when we worship ourselves in the long run with our materialistic truths.

This is the reason why Paul likens the Church as bride [of Christ] in our second reading. As a bride, the Church in Ephesus might get confused about who to serve; to serve itself or to serve Christ - the reason for its existence. The Church must serves Christ her husband, and not herself in her material needs. She should not succumb to the allurements of the flesh but to the words of his groom.

The followers of the Lord serve the spirit which gives life and not the flesh whose needs and wants are passing and could even lead one to miss the essential points.

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Should we wish to follow the Lord, we are invited to set classify the needs of the flesh in our day to day life and know the momentary benefit that they could gives us as well as the dangers they could engender when we cling onto them absolutely.

At the same time, we are invited to classify the things that enriches our spirits and facilitates the growth of beauty in us.

Peter must inspire us that life comes from the words of Jesus, and nowhere else, nobody else, and nothing else. If He is the source of life and beauty, should we not spend all our lives serving him?

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READINGS (TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME)

FIRST READING Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning their elders, their leaders, their judges, and their officers. When they stood in ranks before God, Joshua addressed all the people: “If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” But the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods. For it was the LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among the peoples through whom we passed. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-2

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. The LORD has eyes for the just, and ears for their cry. The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. Many are the troubles of the just one, but out of them all the LORD delivers him; he watches over all his bones; not one of them shall be broken. R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

SECOND READING Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32

Brothers and sisters: Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. Or: [Shorter Form] Brothers and sisters: Live in love, as Christ loved us. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.

GOSPEL Jn 6:60-69 Many of Jesus’ 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.”