Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18 / Ephesians 5:21-32 / John 6:60-69
Generally speaking, people follow leaders by what they say and also how the leaders say it.
So, one of the basic requirements of a leader is to be good at public speaking.
They must also be able to give speeches that are inspiring and motivating.
And whatever they are saying, they also need to say it with conviction and with clarity.
And it is not only in what a leader says that shows the character of the leader.
It is also what the leader writes that will be open to public scrutiny.
With such demands and expectations, a leader can have recourse to some assistance.
The rise and rapid development of AI (Artificial Intelligence) that can be of some help.
We can input some requirements or a draft of a speech, and the AI would generate quite an impressive text.
So the AI can be of assistance in giving a factually correct, as well as a grammatically correct text for our consideration in giving a speech or writing an article.
But when we think about what Jesus had been saying in the gospels for the past few weeks, we wonder what the AI would do to it.
Jesus had been teaching about the Bread from heaven.
He went on to say that He is the Bread that came down from heaven, and that He is the Bread of life.
And anyone who eats of this bread would not die but live forever.
And then Jesus says that the Bread He gives is His flesh for the life of the world.
The gospel tells us that His listeners thought that it was intolerable language.
And yet, Jesus didn't know explain or clarify or justify what He said.
He went on to declare that the words He have spoken are spirit and they are life.
After that, many of His followers left him and stopped going with Him.
As for us, we come weekly for Mass, and we listen to the teachings of Jesus.
We partake of the Bread of life that Jesus gives us, which is the Body of Christ.
Yes, we believe in the message of eternal life and we also partake of the bread of eternal life.
Others may not accept the message and that the Body of Christ may sound like intolerable language.
That is a story of St. Mother Teresa who went around to beg for food for the children at her orphanage.
She came to a bakery and approached the owner for some bread.
But the owner of the bakery was not favorable to Christians, and he insulted St. Mother Teresa and spat at her.
St. Mother Teresa then responded calmly: That was for me. Is there anything for the children?
The owner of the bakery was stunned by her response, and realizing his bad behaviour gave St. Mother Teresa what she needed for her children.
In life, we may be faced with intolerable language from those who do not believe in Jesus.
Let us respond to that intolerable language with words of life and love.
Jesus is a Divine wisdom and He has the message of eternal life.
Let us learn from Him to speak words of life and love, so that others will hear the message of eternal life.