Is it possible to go to Jesus for the wrong reasons? Annie Ma, who worked for years in our office, has given me permission to share that the reason she became Catholic was to get her daughter into St. Paul’s and then into Little Flower Academy.
Eric Chow, a famous leader in our archdiocese, has told the story of how he saw a beautiful girl at a Catholic event, and he went up to a statue of our mother Mary and ‘fake prayed,’ to show this girl how Catholic he was!
This is actually quite common. Maybe we go to Mass to please our mother. Maybe we choose a parish based on what we get out of it, instead of also thinking about what we can give. Maybe most of our prayers revolve around asking God for things rather than loving Him. I myself have used Jesus because He made my life better.
So, there can be bad motives or just merely human ones, which aren’t bad in and of themselves. In either case, Jesus is merciful and loves us. And, while we often start our spiritual journey with mixed motives, it can and should improve.
Jesus says today, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves’ (Jn 6:22,24-26). Jesus had been doing many healings, and so a crowd of 5,000 people followed Him towards a remote mountain. He then performs a miracle of multiplying bread and feeds the whole group, and so they want to make Him their king, for the wrong reasons. So, Jesus retreats alone to the mountain. The next day, they search for Him because they want more food, more miracles. Whenever Jesus says, ‘Very truly, I tell you,’which, in the original Greek, is, ‘Amen, Amen, I tell you,’ it means what follows is something God confirms. In this case, Jesus is exposing that they’re searching for Him for the wrong reasons. He’s revealing a huge problem He wants to solve, and the solution is to search for Him because you believe in and love Him; 17 times in the Gospel of John, there’s the word ‘sign,’ which reveals Jesus’ glory and is designed by Him to help us acknowledge Who He really is.
Annie Ma became Catholic for the wrong reason, but started to take Jesus’ words seriously and has become an amazing disciple. Same with Eric. He went up to that beautiful girl and used a Catholic pickup line: ‘I was reading the Book of Numbers and realized I don’t have yours.’ Just kidding. He said, ‘It’s Palm Sunday, can I hold yours?’
The key is searching for the person of Jesus, not the things He gives us. Jesus says, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (6:27).
As you can see, the Gospel is from John, chapter six, and, for the next three Sundays, we’re going to hear from this chapter. Six times in this chapter, the crowd asks Jesus questions or interjects, and He responds by showing them the right way of following Him (Francis J. Moloney, SDB, The Gospel of John in Sacra Pagina, 207).
For example, today, they ask, “‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you…’” (6:28-29) be a good person? Be nice? This is the work of God, that you ‘believe in him whom he has sent.’” Jesus doesn’t want us to be nice, because it’s too low a standard. He wants faith in Him, which should lead to becoming like Him.
We’re halfway through our Sabbath Summer. While many of us are relaxed, it’s a good time to ponder what Jesus wants of us. Here are four things to think about:
1) In four months, on November 24, 2024 as we do every year, we’re having our Christ the King Challenge, and we ask: Put up your hand if you’ve made Jesus the centre of your life.
This isn’t pressure, but an opportunity. Every year is another chance to grow in faith. So, this fall, we have Alpha, Faith Studies, and Journey Through Scripture, which help us spiritually grow.
2) Let’s praise God again that, three weeks ago, we received the Development Permit for our Parish Centre. It’s critical that we spend more time thanking God and not just asking Him for things.
So, let’s pray: ‘Heavenly Father, we give You all praise and glory! We have learned through these years that without You, we can do nothing. You know our great need for a parish centre, in order that we can fulfill Your mission of making disciples for Christ. Thank You for granting us the City’s approval of our application. More importantly, thank You for granting us every spiritual blessing through Christ in the Holy Spirit, and, thank you, Mother Mary, for your prayers. Amen.’
And thank you, everyone, for your ongoing support of this amazing spiritual project! We’ll give you an update on our next steps either next week or the following.
3) 2025 is the 100th anniversary of our parish. Now, normally, we’d celebrate that year. But what do you think about using all of 2025 to get ready, delay the celebration by one year, so that we can celebrate in the new Parish Centre in 2026? We’d love to hear ideas about how we think the Holy Spirit is calling us to grow in the next 100 years. Please pray, talk, and share your ideas.
4) In 2026, we want to relaunch adoration in our chapel. In 2019, we renovated it and received one of the most beautiful chapels anywhere. 307 of us signed up for weekly adoration but participation has fallen off since then, so it’s possible that we can fall back spiritually. However, we shouldn’t get discouraged because we can start again! Wouldn’t it be amazing if 500 of us signed up for weekly adoration in 2026?
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you… it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever… believes in me will never be thirsty” (6:32-35). Jesus is the bread of life. The Eucharist is the bread of life. We go to Him for the right reasons, not for what He gives us, but for Himself.