Lord, To Whom Shall We Go?
2021년 8월 22일Lord, To Whom Shall We Go?
<Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time>
It isn’t easy being a Catholic. So many rules and regulations. The Mass is so complicated: genuflect, make the sign of the cross, stand up, kneel down, sit, bow. Then there’s all those things to believe: Trinity, Incarnation, Virgin Birth, Transubstantiation, Resurrection, Infallibility. And what’s with confessing one’s sins to a priest? Then there are all those restrictions: no sex outside of marriage, no divorce, celibate priests and nuns, no artificial contraception. On top of all that, Catholics are supposed to promote social justice, defend the weak, support the poor, offer shelter to refugees, feed the hungry, visit the sick and imprisoned. In recent years, many Catholics have left the Church for many different reasons. But many others choose to stay. Why?
For all its faults, Catholicism is a beautiful religion. For two thousand years it has inspired great artists to create masterpieces, build magnificent cathedrals, compose sublime music. It remains the oldest Christian denomination in the world. With over 1.3 billion followers, it’s also the largest. But these are incidental facts that could change. One thing that cannot change is the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ. He promised to remain with us till the end of time. And Jesus gave us his body and blood in the Eucharist to sustain us in all our daily trials. We believe the Eucharist is the very presence of Jesus with us, in the form of bread and wine. This was the hardest teaching to accept, even for the disciples. Many of them left Jesus because of this “hard teaching”. He told his apostles they too could leave if they wanted to. Peter answered for all of us when he said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”