As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
John 6:66-67
After the multiplication of the loaves and after having walked across the Sea of Galilee, Jesus gives the famous Bread of Life Discourse. He tells his listeners that he is the bread of life come down from heaven and that everyone must eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to be truly with him. We Catholics believe that here Jesus speaks of the Eucharist as a literal, concrete sacrament and not a metaphorical and symbolic action.
However, many people in the crowd cannot understand and accept this teaching and they walk away. Jesus then asks, “The Twelve,” his closest students and friends, if they also want to leave.
Just imagine the power of this moment. For Jesus, the teaching he has just delivered is so important that he risks losing the group of his closest followers, the people in whom he has invested the most.
What are two or three core values that are so important for you that you are willing to lose money, popularity, or maybe a career? Pray for the strength to stick to these values, even when it means you have to sacrifice for it.