For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.

I think we’ve reached the stage of human existence where we know all of our gods. Or at least we think we do. Unfortunately, like the Athenians, too many still walk away when they hear the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ proclaimed. They are more comfortable with the gods they know, or their perception of the one true God, to hear about the reality of Jesus. They want the Jesus of acceptance, or persecution, or success, whomever the Jesus is that fits their needs and schedule. They want the Jesus who said ‘whatever you want —“ it’s ok.’ I don’t know that Jesus.

Rather I hear the words of Paul preaching in the streets of Athens:

God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent

I love the one true God, Father Son, and Holy Spirit, the God that challenges me to grow, to change, to set aside my comfortable sins and repent.

My brothers and sisters,

All of us are on a journey toward God. We must recommit to making the journey fruitful. You are here tonight to receive Jesus’ body and blood as food for the journey. You are here to worship the one true God in the person of His Son in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.

How many Biblical passages speak to the fact that the teachings of Jesus are too hard to bear? When Jesus talked of feeding us with His body and that we need to drink His blood, many of the Jews walked away.

In today’s Gospel Jesus says it very plainly:

“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.”

Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would come and that we would see clearly because of His gifts. Now we have the Spirit. Believers, those who have faith in the Jesus proclaimed by the Church, know that Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light. Take it up, proclaim and teach it, evangelize, and continue on your journey.