The humility of John the Baptist

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the martyrdom of John the Baptist.
The Baptist preached and baptized to prepare the Jews for the coming of the Messiah. He also baptized Jesus. Then he was arrested by Herod Antipas because he openly criticized him for marrying his brother's wife while his brother was still alive. Antipas had set up a very bad model for his people. Antipas knew that John the Baptist was a prophet. He respected him and wanted to protect him from the evil woman he had illegally married. Antipas made one mistake in order to cover up an earlier mistake. In the end, the mistakes he had made forced him to behead the Baptist.

While the Synoptic gospels tell us how Herod beheaded John the Baptist, the gospel of John paints us the mind and heart of the Baptist.
You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full (John 3:28-29).
The Baptist knew his position well. He was the friend of the bridegroom, the precursor of Christ. He knew that he was not Christ, not the bridegroom because he did not have the bride.
Who was this bride?
I think the bride is the Church, the community of the redeemed. We belong to Christ because it is Christ who has redeemed us with his passion and resurrection. Christians do not belong to the Baptist. When Christ arrived, the Baptist's mission was accomplished. That is why he rejoiced greatly at the bridegroom's voice.
He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).

When you have done your job, you should withdraw. Otherwise, you are pouring fire on your own head and bring yourself self-destruction. This is typical Chinese wisdom but the context is totally different.
There is a Chinese idiom which says 「功成身退」 roughly translated as "Mission accomplished. Retire." If we are reluctant to let go our accomplishment, we tend to be boastful of our contribution.
Analect tells us the story of a Lu 魯 general called 孟之反 who covered his retreating soldiers so that they could safely returned to the fortress. Entering the fortress himself, he said that it was not he who dared to stay behind to cover them. It was his horse which refused to enter the city.
子曰：「孟之反不伐，奔而殿，將入門，策其馬，曰：非敢後也，馬不進也。」 【論語‧雍也】In explaining one of the 64 oracles of I-Ching, Confucius has the following commentary on the oracle of humility.
勞謙，君子有終，吉。子曰：勞而不伐，有功而不德，厚之至也。語以其功，下人者也。德言盛，禮言恭，謙也者，致恭以存其位者也。【繫辭上】
Humility is the secret weapon which helps you stay long in your position. This is Chinese wisdom.
Lao-Tze, one of the founder of Taoism, also offers a similar advice in his classic.
是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教，萬物作焉而不辭，生而不有，為而不恃，功成而不居。夫唯不居，是以不去。【道德經‧第二章】
Lao-Tze explains that since we do not cling to our accomplish, we are able to stay. Again, this is Chinese wisdom. Both philosophers focused on staying in position.
The Baptist is a beautiful illustration of the virtue of humility. But he did not intend to cling to his role as the forerunner of Christ. When Christ appeared, he retired. Yet, he continued his role as a prophet of God. For this role, he paid a price with his own life. He was not afraid because God was with him.
And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land.
They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you (Jeremiah 1:18-19)
The Baptist dared to stand up against Herod Antipas to fulfil his role as God's prophet. No doubt, God was with the Baptist. Yet, God did not save his life. God's plan is truly beyond our intellectual capacity.

Dear Lord, I am sure You would not let the Baptist die in vain. The Baptist had done a beautiful witness job. Allow me to bear witness to Your truth bravely like the Baptist. Amen.

Feast of St. Augustine (Year B)

The Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Augustine today. Yesterday, we celebrated the feast day of his mother St. Monica who had prayed for his conversion for 17 years. The bond between mother and son is very strong. The story of St. Augustine demonstrated it well. It took 17 years for this Prodigal Son to return home. It wasn't too late. St. Monica was able to spend about half a year of quality life together with this converted son.

Saturnia is a good girl. She visited grandmother and spent a night in Chai Wan. My younger brother invited her to try out living in Chai Wan so that it would be easier for her to travel to Hong Kong University to study. We did not expect any miracle. Grandmother did not stop her drinking for just one evening. What a pity! She deprives herself of an opportunity to live one sober day, to build a warm relationship with her granddaughter she is so proud of. Poor mum, she has been doing a lot of things which turn out to alienate herself with her family members and close relatives. Of course, it is a deep issue and we cannot fantasize converting an alcoholic in just one day.
Saturnia is also a sensitive girl. She could feel the emotional pressure my father and young brother suffer. She knows that she is too young to handle this. Therefore, she decided not to live in Chai Wan in her university years. My wife and me told her that she was a brave girl. She had already done a terrific job, trying to build up a meaningful relationship with an alcoholic grandmother.
I have been teaching the topic of addiction in CEE RS for about ten years. Theoretically, an addiction victim (drug, gambling, alcohol etc.) brings havoc to his family and his friends. Yet, I can feel it only when my own fingers get burnt.
Dear Lord, how long will my parents and younger brother continue to suffer before my mother is able to quit? Have mercy on us Lord.

After praising the good performance of the Thessalonians and encouraging them to endure afflictions, St. Paul turned to their problems. He told them to abstain from unchastity (1 Thessalonians 4:3), to take a wife in holiness and honour (1 Thessalonians 4:4). Nobody should wrong his brother in this matter (1 Thessalonians 4:6). I suppose St. Paul was talking about adultery. Interesting enough, in this early epistle, St. Paul had already hinted at a very mature view on marriage. Though St. Paul did not write it out explicitly, he expected husbands and wives to sanctify themselves in marriage.
For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness.
Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8).
Therefore, it is a bit surprising to read some very negative views on marriage in the first Epistle to the Corinthians.

We are called to lead a life in holiness but it is difficult to see the transcendental dimension in our daily life. It seems to be very abstract. So, how are we able to see what it means to be "called in holiness"?
Last evening, I was trying to get to St. Joseph's Church in Kowloon Bay to attend the requiem mass for Stephen Wong at 8. I checked the bus company webpage and found a 268C whose terminus is in Long Ping West Rail Station. I could have taken any Yuen Long LRT to Shui Bin Station to take the bus. I missed a train. The next Yuen Long train would arrive 7 minutes later. Yet, a 751 LRT came which could take me to the Tin Shui Wai West Rail Station from which I could go to Long Ping. I am a rather impatient man. I prefer moving to waiting. So I jumped onto the 751. In hindsight, I found it a bad decision.
When I left the Long Ping Station and was standing in the mini-bus terminus which I was familiar, I discovered my mistake. I did not know where the bus terminus was! I attempted searching it for some time and asked a shopkeeper who directed me to the wrong bus terminus. I was running out of time. So I gave up searching and walked to the 268C bus stop in Yuen Long. That was not my usual practice, not my modus operandi. Thank God, by the time I reached the bus stop, a 268C just arrived. Had I insisted on searching the terminus, I would have missed this coach which took me to St. Joseph's just in time.
In this incident, I could see God frustrating me so that I was able to catch the coach just in time. Have I seen the transcendental dimension in daily reality?

Dear Lord, teach us so that we are able to relate the daily reality to You and Your will. Amen.

Feast of St. Monica (Year B)

St. Monica (333-387), the mother of St. Augustine, is a patron saint for wives and abused victims. Monica suffered a similar fate. Yet she patiently endured all and persistently prayed for all. Her example had already been a moral support for her contemporaries. From her case, we can conclude that when God wants to help a particular category of victims, first of all, He makes one such victim, coaches him/her and gives him/her the grace to persevere. That is the modus operandi of God. When God wants to save mankind, He sends the Son of God to become a man to redeem them. When God wants to help abused wives, He made a St. Monica for them.
At the moment, I have a lot of friends suffering from different kinds of affliction: physical disabilities, mental illnesses, depression, unemployment etc. I pray for them and I am sure they can be God's instruments to bless the world in a way beyond our understanding. God is mysterious.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

When St. Paul preached to the Thessalonians, he encouraged them in face of afflictions.
and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's servant in the gospel of Christ, to establish you in your faith and to exhort you,
that no one be moved by these afflictions. You yourselves know that this is to be our lot.
For when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction; just as it has come to pass, and as you know (1 Thessalonians 3:2-4).
If people wish to lead a peaceful comfortable life, they would be alarmed by this passage and would not choose Christianity. If they have already been baptized, they would work hard to withdraw membership. It is only natural for man to seek pleasure and avoid suffering. Christianity does not provide believers with an escape route, with a life free of troubles. Rather, Christians can only expect a life of hardship.
Given that it is natural for man to seek pleasure and avoid suffering, why would people choose to suffer? Why were martyrs willing to die? The only reasonable explanation is that Christianity promises a happy life after death. Suffering for a short while in order to gain eternal happiness is an excellent investment option indeed. Hasn't Paul taught such a logic?
and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men, as we do to you,
so that he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). 
Probably when Karl Marx claimed that religion was "the opium of the people", he had this passage in mind. Religion provides an illusionary happiness for the exploited. It promises them heaven and the honour of sainthood at the end of the world (at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints). The government encourages such kind of mentality among the subjects so that they would not complain or rise up in protest about the exploitation they are suffering.

We should not blame St. Paul for writing it. People like to believe in what they want to believe. Biblical verses are notorious for being open to interpretations. You can pick up a passage and interpret it according to your needs. The same passage may be employed by rivals who champion opposite causes.
On the other hand, some people do live on this promise. They rely on this promise to endure through the afflictions and difficulties in life. In other words, Christianity gives suffering a meaning. Suffering is meaningful. Suffering is redemptive. Martyrs are martyrs, witnesses to the meaning of their faith. We respect them.

Dear Lord, we struggle to make sense of sufferings. Grant us the wisdom to see the world as You see it. We offer up our sufferings to You so that they may become redemptive. Amen.

Things a teacher can be proud of

Approaching the end of August, there are only a few more days to go before the new school year commences. Many teachers have already started attending meetings, preparing lessons and planning activities for the upcoming year. Teachers in Hong Kong always shy away from telling their counterparts in mainland China or overseas how much they are paid a month. It is because Hong Kong teachers are probably the highest paid teachers in the world. True, we have to take care of a much larger class of students, to cover a more intensive curriculum and to handle more clerical work ourselves. People in the society expect us to deliver results because most of us are paid by the government. The Hong Kong SAR government has adopted the mentality of an entrepreneur. The government officials, especially those education officials, always talk about money for value and about being accountable to tax-payers etc. In short, they are the most discouraging superiors rather than the most supportive stakeholders for the frontline teachers.

If teaching is such a frustrating job, why don't you quit?
Well, I have to admit that there is a huge inertia inside the teaching profession. You get used to its routines very quickly. You enjoy nearly absolute, unchallenged authority probably with the exception of teachers teaching in lower banding schools. You don't want to change unless you are experiencing unspeakable frustrations. Let's take another perspective. The job-satisfaction must be huge. Otherwise, you cannot stay long. So, what is this job-satisfaction?
I don't know what other teachers might think about job-satisfaction. As for me, mixing with young people prevents me from ageing. But the greatest satisfaction is to see that your students take you seriously, that they benefit from your sharing. Of course, if they become professionals contributing to the society, it is a bonus.

In all these, I share the same view with St. Paul. For him, the believers were his crown of glory.
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
For you are our glory and joy (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).
For me, the performance of my students is my glory and my joy. Science teachers do not share my luck. If students behave politely or conduct their life according to justice, nobody can scientifically trace the connection with Physics or Additional Mathematics. What about public examination results? Well, if students score many A's, people naturally think that it is the contribution of tutorial centres rather than the science teachers. As an RS teacher, I am in a better position. If students score distinctions in public examination, it is because of their diligence because no tutorial centre offers RS courses. If my students follow the precepts of the Bible in their life, can I not be proud when Lord Jesus comes again? My students are not my "product". We share the joy of life. I thank God for giving me the blessing to teach RS throughout my whole teaching career.

St. Paul thanked God because the Thessalonians took his gospel seriously.
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
In the same way, I should also thank God when my students take my teaching seriously. I should also thank God if my students benefit from my teaching.
As an RS teacher, I also share an evangelization mission. In this area, I have to admit that I have not been successful.
for you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you
to lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
Telling my students that there is a glorious Kingdom of God waiting for them is not attractive anymore nowadays. Then, where comes the motivation to lead a life worthy of God? I suppose setting an example can influence them. If you are keen on Chinese Literature, you will love it and enjoy it. Your students will be able to detect the joy that animates you. You must love God first before you can influence people to lead a life worthy of God.
Similarly, St. Paul has this to say.
You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our behavior to you believers (1 Thessalonians 2:10).
At first glance, Paul was too arrogant and boastful. Shouldn't an evangelist be humble? I agree that the writing has been too green. This is a signature style early in his writing career. Gradually, Paul wrote in a more subtle manner. For the time being, he was direct to be blunt. Yet, he was telling the truth.
In his preaching, he earned his own living, not willing to put burden on the community (1 Thessalonians 2:9). He set up an exemplary, blameless, righteous and holy life for the believers to copy. The believers could follow him to lead a life worthy of God. On Judgment Day, these believers will become the crown of glory for Paul.
I too have to demonstrate my passion for God and for the Bible. Hopefully, some of my students may follow and lead a life worthy of God. On Judgment Day, I can be proud of my students.

Dear Lord, You teach us to judge a tree with its fruits (Matthew 12:33). I pray for my students so that they can be fruits good for the society. Amen.

Pleasing God, not pleasing men

We will spend the whole week reading the first Epistle to the Thessalonians, which is believed to be the first epistle written by St. Paul in around 51 A.D. By that time, he was preaching in Corinth. He heard of the problems encountered by the church in Thessalonia but he could not leave Corinth to handle their problems. Therefore, St. Paul wrote a letter to the Church of Thessalonia to advise and encourage them. Most of the Thessalonian Christians were Gentiles. They did not have any Jewish burden. Therefore, they were more receptive to the gospel preached by St. Paul. Since this letter was among his first epistles, the theology is easier to follow.

Every community has to struggle with internal and external problems. The Thessalonian Church was no exception. The envious Jews posed them an external problem. The believers had to face theological challenges, personal attacks and physical persecutions from without. Among the believers, some abused the freedom gained through the gospel and relapsed to an earlier licentious life. Others gave up their jobs and waited idly for the second coming of Christ. Yet others lamented for those who had died before Christ returned. St. Paul had a bunch of difficult nuts to crack.
Early in his writing career, St. Paul had displayed a certain style. As a teacher, there are a lot of things I should learn from this great Apostle. Instead of scolding them for their poor performance, St. Paul was able to pick up their strength and praised them instead.
We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,
remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3).
In one breath, St. Paul spelt out the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity. He gave thanks to God for the Thessalonian Christians had shown these virtues well. Though these remarks of St. Paul were subjective, he must have found something in the believers worth praising.
Teachers have been entrusted young children who have even greater opportunities to change for the better. Therefore, we teachers should not be a miser in giving out encouragements and praises.

The atmosphere of the society is changing all the time. In earlier generations, teachers and truth were to be respected. Teachers were keepers of truth and knowledge and therefore should be respected. Most parents did not have the chance to attend school. They gave their children the best they could afford. Parents told their children at home that they should pay attention in class to what the teachers taught. Nowadays, these well-educated children have become parents themselves. Some are even more learned than school teachers. They put their children into schools more or less for babysitting purposes. Teachers are told that parents are stakeholders. Therefore, parents are not to be offended. Many head teachers would bow to the demands of parents and instruct their subordinates to do likewise. The whole school runs to please the parents! I think St. Paul would not agree with such an attitude.
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our hearts (1 Thessalonians 2:4).
If we claim to be offering Christian education, we should practise what St. Paul preached. We serve not to please men, but to please God.
Will it please God to punish students when they make mistakes, when they fail to hand in homework in time? Will it please God to give students a free hand to do whatever pleases their appetite? Will it please God to implement mandatory drug screening for students? Will it please God to renovate the D&T Room into a distance-learning centre for students? Will it please God to deny drug rehabilitators a better learning environment in Mui Wo? Are we seeking our own pleasure and glory in doing all these?
nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:6).
In short, do we love God enough? Do we love our students enough?
But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children.
So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
I did not mean to abase ourselves to call ourselves "babysitters" because this was what St. Paul taught us in his early letters. We should be gentle like a nurse, love and take care of our students and share our life with them. The teaching profession is a sharing of our own selves.

Dear Lord, make us generous babysitters to share our life with our students. Amen.

Feast of St. Bartholomew (Year B)

The Church celebrates the Feast of Bartholomew the Apostle today. Very little is known about the life of this apostle. The canonical gospels focus on only a handful of apostles. Even Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, received only a few verses. What can we expect to find about the life of the apostle whose name came sixth or seventh in the name lists? His name does not appear in the gospel of John but many scholars believe that the Nathanael mentioned in the gospel of John was Bartholomew.

The gospel of John gives us a different sequence in which Jesus called his disciples. First of all, two disciples of John the Baptist followed Jesus after the Baptist bore witness that Jesus was the Lamb of God which took away the sins of the world (John 1:37). One of them was Andrew who was very excited because they had found the Messiah. Andrew told his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus. Now Jesus had three disciples, Andrew, Simon and an anonymous disciple who was most probably John.
Jesus turned to Galilee and found Philip. He called Philip to follow him. Notice that according to the gospel of John, the first three came to Jesus on their own initiative but Philip was the first to be called, to be summoned by Jesus. John's account is different from that found in the Synoptic gospels because gospels were products of particular communities of believers. They arose from different communities with different traditions.
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." (John 1:43)
Philip responded positively the call of Jesus. He followed Jesus and later, Philip called his friend Nathanael and told him that they (Philip and the disciples whom Jesus had called earlier) had found the Messiah.
Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."(John 1:45)
Andrew did it. So did Philip. They had found something good. They shared this good thing with their friends and relatives.
The community from which the gospel of Mark arose probably stressed the promptness of renunciation of worldly possessions. The community of John probably stressed the importance of sharing and spreading the good news of salvation. That explains why they offer different accounts of the call of the apostles.

Galilee was a northern province close to the Gentiles. People in the south did not speak highly of the Galileans. The Galilean way of life was probably too much "contaminated" by Greek influences. Therefore, it was only nature for Nathanael not to expect the Messiah to come from Nazareth of Galilee.
Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." (John 1:47)
Philip did not argue with him because actions speak louder than words. Philip's answer was pragmatic: see for yourself.
Our mistake is that we care too much about our performance, about the outcome. We know we need to let go, let Mother Nature take her course and let God handle the situation. But we feel uncomfortable if we have not put in "enough" efforts. We are nervous if not enough people take part in the evangelization activities we organize, too few students join the functions organized by the Catholic Society. Rather, we should learn from Philip. Invite your friends to come and see for themselves. God will take care of the rest.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."
Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" (John 1:47-49)
We will never know what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. Whatever he did, Jesus saw it. Jesus is truly God. Christians, shouldn't you be more careful with what you do in your solitude? Advice from Confucius 「是故君子戒慎乎其所不睹，恐懼乎其所不聞。莫見乎隱，莫顯乎微，故君子慎其獨也」【中庸‧第一章】
Therefore, a Gentleman is cautious of what he does not see, fearful of what he does not hear. There is nothing more conspicuous than the hidden, more obvious than the microscopic. Thus, a Gentleman is very careful in solitude (The Middle Way, chapter one).
Does not the Synoptic gospels say similar things?
Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops(Luke 12:2-3)

Dear Lord, teach us to behave properly even in our solitude. You are all-knowing. You know the secrets which have been repressed so deeply in our hearts that even we do not know their existence ourselves. My Lord, help me clean up my secret chambers. Amen.

Twenty First Ordinary Sunday (Year B)

In the beginning, we thought we chose to believe in God. It was a conscious and voluntary decision. Therefore, people object to the practice of infantile baptism. They think that it is better to wait until the baby has grown old enough to make the decision itself.
Later, when we became spiritually more mature, we believe that we did not choose God. Rather, it was God who, out of His kindness, chose us to share His eternal life. With such logic, the practice of infantile baptism is very sensible and beneficial to the babies.
Today, we come a full circle and affirm once more that we choose God.

Fr. Martin Ip celebrated the 11 a.m. mass with us. He stressed the point that we should gather up our courage to choose. He argued that though we know which the right thing to do is, we still need the courage to choose to do the right thing. Many people have the intelligence to know, to discern what the right thing is. However, they may not have enough courage to carry through the right thing.

In the first reading today, the last chapter of the book of Joshua, we read of how Joshua encouraged the people to choose the right thing to do.
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
And if you be unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15)
Joshua was addressing the second generation of Israelites who came out from Egypt. The first geneartion had been purged within the forty years in the wilderness. This generation of Israelites was not "contaminated" by Egyptian idolatry and therefore less inclined to return to the more secure life in Egypt. Joshua encouraged them to serve Yahweh. He set himself up as an example before them. He chose to serve Yahweh. The Israelites were free to choose Yahweh or otherwise.
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed;
and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land; therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God." (Joshua 24:16-18)
The Israelites were deceptively loyal. I do not mean they were insincere. Rather, in the wilderness, they did not know any other gods. With Yahweh fighting for them in the wilderness against other tribes, it was natural for them to draw the conclusion that the other gods were impotent. However, once they had settled down in Canaan, they began to assimilate the local fertility cults and worship other deities in order to guarantee good harvests.

The gospels give us the impression that the miracle of feeding 5000 seems to be the zenith of Jesus' career. Had Jesus been an ambitious man like Hitler, he would have driven out the Romans very easily. He was able to feed his soldiers with 5 loaves of bread. His curse would also dry up an army of Roman soldiers like he did to a fig tree. Yet, this was not God's plan of salvation. The gospel of John gives us a different picture after the feeding of the 5000. Jesus' teaching was too difficult to accept, too unpalatable.
Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"
But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?
Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?
It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life (John 6:59-63).
Jesus' words, Jesus' teachings are spirit and life. But his teachings are too hard to accept. No, his teachings are not hard to understand but hard to accept. They go against our common sense, our established ideologies. Therefore, many people chose not to follow Jesus anymore.
After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.
Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;
and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6:66-69)
Jesus had collapsed from the peak to the trough of his career. Many people deserted him. He had become unpopular because his teachings went against our common sense. They were too unpalatable. Yet, the apostles chose to stay with Jesus. They were courageous because despite Jesus' unpopularity, they were able to hang on to their belief in Jesus and acknowledged him the Messiah, the Holy One of God. The apostles risked becoming unpopular themselves.

Do we really choose God?
I think God chooses us first and invites us to accept His redemption. Some people choose to ignore Him. We choose to respond to His call. Indeed, we choose each other.

Dear Lord, whether we admit it or not, we care about other people's opinions. Grant us the courage to choose the right thing to do even if it is unpopular to do so. Amen.