All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully. (So) Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything - Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us, a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven.
My dear friends in Christ, saying “yes” to God entails loving Him and surrendering to Him by listening to His Word, accepting His Word, and putting His Word in practice. So let us say “no” to the world and “yes” to God like Joshua and Simon Peter in today’s readings, then firmly follow Christ by truly believing in Him and by showing the world that He has the words of eternal life and is indeed the Holy One of God.
Let us sincerely and truly participate actively in the Eucharistic celebration so as to receive that food that never perishes, but endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man has given us.
