Saturday of the Third Week of Easter

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042812.cfm

As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

Speaking perhaps with less conviction than Saint Peter, on a matter of less importance, I am convinced that the Church must always be involved in controversy. That seems to be our constant experience; and on those rare occasions when we weren’t up to our butts in crocodiles, we were probably not serving the gospel.

Jesus certainly surrounded himself in controversy. He not only challenged his opponents, he challenged his friends. He might have said as Saint Paul would later write to the Galatians: 

Am I now currying favor with human beings or God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.

Controversy and its footman Violence followed Jesus. It was his intention to expose them, and to expose himself to them. His manner was neither to bully nor to out-shout. Rather, as Isaiah said, a bruised reed he will not break; a smoldering wick he will not quench. But Jesus spoke the truth to power and earthly power cannot abide the truth. He spoke truth to his enemies and his friends, and only those who clung to him, who believed in him regardless of what he said, could remain his followers.

Saint John explains this:

…to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.

No one has ever said it is, or should, be easy to follow Jesus. Sometimes it is downright scary to be Catholic and Christian. But we cannot do otherwise. With Saint Peter we exclaim:

"Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."