There is a saying, ‘First impressions count.’ Quite often when contextual or subsequent information about that person or that thing is not taken into account, this first impression we have leads us to quickly categorising of that person or of those things – this impression is then cast in stone, and every time we encounter this person or thing, we draw upon the first impression, which may have been either a good or a bad one in our overall evaluation of the person or thing. In today’s gospel, the people having edged a memory in their minds about who Jesus was, cannot fathom the proposal of Jesus and it is beyond them because they are not ready to take in new information about Jesus. Their minds are closed. The new truth cannot find its way into their minds and hearts. The present reality is judged based on a past truth that is no longer relevant.
Isn’t it true that this is the case where young people are concerned. They may be searching for Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, but because our discourse about Jesus is couched in outdated vocabulary, the message of truth though it may be important, is not moving the minds and hearts of the new seeker of the Truth, the Way and the Life, as intended.
New experiences and new events should add to rather than discard from the wealth of truth that we already possess. To say, ‘There is nothing else to learn.’ or ‘I know everything.’ is a death blow to our very being. We should learn and discover every day the presence of the Lord and his invitation to get closer to him.
The way to our Father is through Jesus. God makes the first move to choose us. We need to respond to that invitation. Every response that we make to his invitation is our positive “Yes” to His way of Life that he has destined for us.
Are we stuck in our response to the Lord’s calling? A response we made at our baptism should have grown and broadened into a wider area of our lives and our Faith. The response, as the call is, is not static. It is not a one-time call to follow the Gospel way of life because we change as we grow. The maturity of a person changes the response given as our capacity to understand the deeper nuances of the Call. Our sacrifices and love change with the challenging knocks in life. There is no one-size-fits-all in the journey of faith. Are you closer to the Lord? If the answer is ‘Yes’ then the response reveals that your Faith journey is even deeper than before.
The effect of eating this Bread of Life, who is Jesus is the transformation that takes place in our life in the way we behave with others – bearing the fruits of gentleness, of not bearing grudges, a love for others, bearing and spreading peace to those around us. Say ‘Yes’ to let Jesus be the primary food and nourishment in our lives.