If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world

 

 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

 

- John 6:41-51 

 

After Jesus fed five thousand men (and more women and children) in the wilderness, the people sought to make Him king by force, as they were filled with the bread and fish He provided.  Jesus eluded them, walking on the water, but they followed Him by boat to Capernaum, so He began to teach them and to speak about Himself as Son.  In yesterday's reading, He taught them,  "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

  The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  We recall that in John's Gospel, the term the Jews is usually used to denote the religious leadership.  Here Christ is in Capernaum of Galilee, and it is likely the local rulers in the synagogue who know His father and mother.  At any rate, these speak for those who "know" Jesus in the earthly sense of His human birth.

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father."  Here Jesus once again affirms something He alluded to in our previous reading (see yesterday's reading, above).  It is an affirmation that ultimately, our faith is something desired and willed by God the Father, but we have the capacity to reject and resist that faith and that "drawing" power of God upon us.  See Matthew 16:17.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven."  Here, as frequently happens in John's Gospel, Jesus turns their thoughts from an earthly understanding of His language to a holy or heavenly one.  He Himself is the living bread which came down from heaven.

"If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."   Here is at once a revelation of Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection to come, but at the same time a reference to the Eucharist to come.  This and the verses that will follow (in this Monday's reading) establish this eucharistic significance.  My study Bible comments that Christ's declaration that He is Himself the living bread reveals the Mystical Supper of the New Testament Church.  It notes that John's Gospel doesn't report the details of the Last supper, but rather the significance and truth of these events (which were known to the hearers of the Gospel) by reporting Christ's words. 

Jesus teaches,"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father."  This is an important understanding about how faith works.  Christ clearly alludes to the drawing power of the Father upon human beings, and that all starts from there.  Our faith connection, therefore, is not only from Christ the Son Himself, but also from the Father -- as Christ asserts here -- and from the Holy Spirit.  Christ affirms this same understanding about faith as a revelation of the Father within us when He responds to Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Son of the living God in Matthew's Gospel.  He tells Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:16-17).  In this sense, Jesus quotes from the prophet Isaiah:  "And they shall all be taught by God" (Isaiah 54:13 LXX).  So the fullness of our capacity to "become like God," built into our creation as a potential and promise (Genesis 1:26), becomes possible through Christ's life, death, and Resurrection, but the potentials of faith in us begin with the Father's presence and activity in us, even drawing us to faith in Christ.  Everything points to Christ as the key to all things, for even the Father gives to Him this role.  He is the One who will give His flesh for the life of the world, for the everlasting life made possible and given to us through His sacrifice.  The eucharistic language is clear:  the bread from heaven is that which He will give us in the sacrament, making it possible even for the kingdom of God to dwell in us, and for us to hope for the everlasting life in which we dwell with Him.  He gives us this living bread from heaven through His sacrifice made for the life of the world.   In the beginning of the Gospel, we read, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:4-5).   Let us be those capable of seeing and receiving the light, not dwelling with the darkness, for His light is the light of everlasting life.

 

 

 

Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction

 

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  

 

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who  wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

 

- Mark 5:21-43 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples came to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.  

 

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.   By this time in Mark's Gospel, we see the great fuss made over Jesus wherever He goes in His Galilean ministry headquarters:  the moment He arrives back from the other side of the Sea of Galilee, a great multitude greets Him.  At this stage, despite Jesus having already had a dispute with the Pharisees, one of the rulers of the synagogue now approaches Him, for the healing of his little daughter.  He expresses faith that Jesus can heal her and she will live, but we will observe Jesus' approach to that faith.  My study Bible comments that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  As Christ is of one essence with the Father, He has this authority (John 5:21). 

 

 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  My study Bible comments that the healing of this woman demonstrates Christ's power to cleanse and heal.  In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, which imposed religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  This suffering woman, who has accounted herself unclean, nonetheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  Similarly to Jairus, she is desperate for help.   We observe that Jesus blesses her with peace, as her faith has made her well.  Her thinking is corrected in that she could not hide her touch from Him, nor was she excluded from Him because of her illness.  Finally, my study Bible says, He exhibits her faith to all, that she might be imitated.  There is another note in which we are given to understand that there is also a patristic spiritual interpretation to this miracle.  In that spiritual understanding, this woman symbolizes human nature in general, as humanity is in constant suffering and subject to death, which is symbolized by the flow of blood.  The physicians who could not cure her stand for the various religions of the world, as well as the Law of the Old Testament, which were unable to grant life to human beings.  Only through Christ, it says, are we freed from suffering and bondage to sin.

 

 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who  wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.  My study Bible notes that this is one of three resurrections which were performed by Christ as recorded in the Gospels; see also Luke 7:11-17; John 11:1-44. 

There are important ties which we can observe between these two stories in today's reading.  We might observe first the desperation of the father, Jairus, who is a ruler of the synagogue.  Although he holds an important position, his need for the healing of his daughter is extreme, as she is at the point of death.  Note how Christ becomes a focal point for authority and trust (faith) as Jairus faces the possible death of his daughter.  On the other hand, there is the woman who reaches in secret, in the midst of this jostling, thronging crowd, to simply touch Jesus' clothes.  Imagine her desperation, as we're told that she had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  There is another parallel to be observed here, as Luke 8:42 tells us that Jairus' daughter was about twelve years of age.  The number twelve is clearly significant in the Bible in a number of cases, but what might it signify here?  Perhaps it has something to do with maturity and suffering, a kind of hallmark of experience as both the young woman and the old are at the limit of suffering and receive Christ's healing as an answer to desperation.  We might assume that the older woman's flow of blood is linked to childbearing, while the young woman is simply on the verge of her reproductive years.  Most importantly, the tie between these two intertwined stories is faith, and lessons about faith.  Although both represent exhausted and desperate cases, each one is about persistence and the importance of shoring up and maintaining faith.  Jesus ascribes the older woman's healing to her faith, for which she is rewarded not only with health but the praise of Christ, an astonishing blessing indeed.  As for the young girl, her parents, and her whole household, are taught a lesson in faith by Christ, as He puts out those who ridicule, and takes in only the parents and His disciples of greatest faith (Luke 8:51).  Here we also have a very useful contrast, as the faith and courage of the woman who's exhausted all of her savings and her search for doctors is hers alone -- but Jairus' daughter is saved by the courage and faith of her father and mother, Christ's closest disciples, and the intervention of Christ Himself to separate them from the scoffers and those who ridiculed.  It's an important distinction, because each "works" to bring about healing, but each teaches us about the varied possibilities of the ways that faith can work, even through friends and loved ones and strangers.  And in each case, we might consider the force of faith as a sort of network.  The woman's faith draws power from Christ, so that He understands it but not where it went or who touched Him.  Jesus deliberately creates a circle of faithful, concerned people around Jairus' daughter which suggests a circuit or network through which faith is effectively powerful (and powerful enough to reject the unbelievers' ridicule).  These are all ways in which we can look at today's reading and its central message about faith.  Let us take most heart in Christ's praise for courage and persistence through both.  We are not to lose heart when a struggle becomes difficult, but to persist in our faithful efforts nonetheless, using all means at our disposal to strengthen that faith, even putting aside those who challenge and hinder our chosen faith, and therefore its peace and its joy.  Finally, Jesus calls the older woman "daughter," while it's clear that Jairus' daughter is indeed a "daughter."  We have in His words Christ's loving care, like words of protection for His children.  We note how faith works together with His compassion, and in this we are His family indeed.

 

This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me

 

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

'This people honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

"For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So he said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

 

- Mark 7:1-23 

 Yesterday we read that when evening came, the boat with the disciples was in the middle of the sea; and Jesus was alone on the land (as He had gone to the mountain alone to pray).  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up to the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

 

Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."  My study Bible says that the issue here is not the observation of Jewish customs or traditions, which Jesus certainly does not prohibit (Matthew 5:17-19, 23:23).  The issue here is when human tradition is set in contradiction to the tradition of God.  The tradition of the elders is a body of interpretations of the Law, which fir the Pharisees and the scribes was as authoritative as the Law, and frequently superseded it.  According to that tradition, offerings (called Corban) could be promised to God in a way that property or earnings would still be used for oneself but not for anybody else, including parents.  My study Bible adds that secondary traditions such as this obscure the primary tradition of the Law, which is contained in God's commandments.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13.

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So he said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."  My study Bible comments that food cannot defile a person because it is created by God and is therefore pure.  Evil things are not from God, and those things are what defile a person.

In all things, Jesus suggests that our loyalty is to God, first, last, and always.  This is not just some abstract notion, but given with an understanding that we find God's commandments in the Scriptures.  For Christians, we have the Scriptures of Old and New Testaments, and the Old Testament Scriptures -- for us -- are read in the light of Christ, the Lord who was Incarnate in Jesus.  For us, Jesus, as He said of Himself, is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).  Moreover, He also said of Himself that anyone who has seen Christ has seen the Father (John 14:9).  Through the Revelation, we know Christ as "the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last" (Revelation 22:13).  From this we conclude that Christ speaks through all of the Scriptures, and that He, as authority in our lives and our world, is all in all.  What does that mean for us in terms of today's reading?  It means that Christ has already pointed out for us what discernment means.  We know the Scriptures and we know His words.  Are there traditions we're asked to keep -- be they nominally "religious" or otherwise -- that are stand in contradiction to the spirit or the word of His teachings?  We know what He has taught us.  We have, for instance, the Beatitudes that teach us His notion of what a truly blessed life is in Matthew 5:1-12.  For that matter, we have the context of the Sermon on the Mount (which began with the Beatitudes), in Matthew 5 - 7.  We have the Sermon on the Plain given in Luke's Gospel (Luke 6:20-49).  These are Christ's sermons, as reported to us by the Evangelists.  Moreover, all of Christ's teachings are here in the Gospels, and we have the Epistles as well which explain to us so much about the teachings, and give us advice as given to the early Churches about how to live a Christ-centered life following His commands.  As St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, we have one Christ to follow:  "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Corinthians 1:13).  So if we come up against questions in our lives about practices that are nominally good, we have a place to go against which to test them, found in the Scriptures.  And, as one who comes from a Church with an ancient root, one may profess that the traditions of the Church must also be abiding in these teachings of Christ, including what we understand through St. Paul and other teachers of the Church throughout time.  The Church has also given us saints whose lives express the image of what it is to be dedicated to Christ.  In all of these ways and more, we can measure for ourselves what it means to put God first in our lives, and we know the standard whereby everything else from among all the things we can choose must be measured.  Possibly the most important lesson we learn today, in a world filled with a dizzying array of choices for all of us, from all kinds of sources, is that we have a standard by which we are to measure what we do, what customs we hold, what practices -- secular or otherwise -- we choose to honor in life.  Perhaps the best place to start is in prayer, for it is in being centered upon Christ that we know we are to find our answers to the questions posed to us in life.  But let us not simply honor Him "with our lips," but by understanding the love with which He guides us in life.