Today the Armenian Church remembers Mets Yeghérn, the "Great Evil." It is the remembrance of the massacre during the First World War in which more than one million Armenians were killed.

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

John 6,60-69

After hearing it, many of his followers said, 'This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?' Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, 'Does this disturb you? What if you should see the Son of man ascend to where he was before? 'It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 'But there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the outset who did not believe and who was to betray him. He went on, 'This is why I told you that no one could come to me except by the gift of the Father.' After this, many of his disciples went away and accompanied him no more. Then Jesus said to the Twelve, 'What about you, do you want to go away too?' Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.'

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Gospel passage that we heard concludes the great "sermon on bread" that Jesus gave in the synagogue at Capernaum. The entire text presented by the evangelist reveals a fundamental truth: Jesus "is" the bread, not the one who "has" the bread, as the crowds had thought after the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. Even the disciples feel that this affirmation of Jesus as the bread of life is excessive: "This teaching is difficult," they comment. In his words, they understand that "eating his flesh and drinking his blood" means to receive into themselves a love so great that it totally envelops their life. They cannot accept such a great and involving love. They would prefer to be free from any bond. It is the temptation of individualism that makes people close in their small horizon and think that they can save themselves by themselves. But loneliness is like a virus that is corroding our society in which the bonds that unite people fade and the conflicts and tensions that disaggregate grow. Jesus' speech is a radical contestation of an individual culture. How is it possible to accept a link like Jesus' who asks to be part of his very flesh? It seems better to abandon him. And this is what happened. The disciples would have accepted to link their lives to a close God, but to one who would not enter too much in their lives. Jesus, pained by the abandonment of so many disciples, turns to the Twelve and asks them: "Do you also wish to go away?" This is among the more dramatic moments in Jesus' life. Even if he risked to remain alone, he could not renege the Gospel. The love of the Gospel is exclusive. Peter, who maybe saw Jesus' passionate but also firm eyes, was touched; he opened his heart, spoke and said: "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." He did not say "where" will we go, but "to whom" will we go. The Lord Jesus is truly our one and only saviour.