Supreme Chaplain's Monthly Challenge

August 2018

“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.’” (Gospel for Aug. 30, Jn. 6:67-69)

I don’t know about you, but I can look back on moments in my life when Peter’s words have been personal and I have said to Jesus in prayer: ‘Master, to whom shall I go?’ I hope that you likewise have reached a point in your life where you know with certainty that there is nowhere to go but Jesus: not to power, to money, to sex, to alcohol, or anything else that can become a false “master” in our lives. My brothers, we have come to believe that Jesus is the Holy One of God, and our lives must bear evidence of this. Let us become men who, with Peter, can truly say, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Challenge by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori:

This month I challenge you to make a daily examination of conscience, probing your heart to find the false “masters” (e.g., comfort, power, appearance) to whom you go. Take a few minutes before bed to review the day, including both your blessings and sins. Second, I challenge you to eliminate one of your vices and when you are tempted to participate in that vice pray, “Jesus I trust in you.”