Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not 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 him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:35–40 (RSV)
We have read through some of Isaiah and Jeremiah in confirmation recently. I want more time to spend with the prophets of God, but it is not to be. The words of the prophets of God ring like some of the words in the Revelation of St. John, full of God's wrath and judgment.
Yes, those images and words are there. God's anger at the unfaithfulness of His Chose People is real. No one will dispute this to be on the lips of Isaiah and Jeremiah. God is justified in His displeasure at the rebellious, wayward hearts of the people He has chosen.
As in Revelation, the consequences of rebellion will fall upon the people who have chosen it. On the last day, there will be those who have heard God's Word and turned away. Scripture warns on that day they will hear our Lord say to them, "Depart from me, I do not know you."
It troubles me when I hear folk speak of that moment with satisfaction as they are confident those words do not apply to them. They seem to delight in the suffering of the lost. Yes, they turned away from the Father. True, God warned them that this could be their fate.
All that is true, but the Father has no joy in anyone who is lost. We may say they deserve the fires of hell. The Father sees His child refusing the Father's love. His heart aches over all who choose their own will over the love of the Father.
St. John teaches us that the Father will wipe away our tears. I look so forward to that day when all my sorrows are gone. It is on my heart that as the Father is wiping my tears, He will shed tears for those who only wanted themselves.