Long before children were glued to the computer or the latest electronic gadget there was this thing called the playground. Yep, children actually gathered outdoors for entertainment and recreation. One of my memories of time spent outdoors was playing pick up sports. Whether it was football, baseball or basketball, these pick up games usually began when two captains would pick sides, calling out our names one by one until each captain fielded a team. Of course this took strategy, the best players usually chosen first. These choices went a long way in determining who would win the game!
This was a great lesson for us when we were young because all through life we are faced with many important choices. We choose to study hard and be a good student or not, we had to choose between college or entering the work force, today many young people have several options when choosing college. A young man and woman may choose one another and become husband and wife. We choose our jobs and careers, how we spend our free time, how we spend our money. Yes, life is all about choices.
As people of faith we have chosen to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. How well do we follow Him?
Today’s readings are all about choices. In John’s Gospel today, Jesus concludes His “bread of life discourse” and again, the disciples are murmuring. Remember the last 5 weeks; murmuring, complaining, demanding a sign, quarreling and now murmuring again. And now they declare Jesus’ teachings are too hard. Even after Jesus clearly tells them He is offering a gift they can freely choose; His true Body and His true Blood that leads to eternal life, many walk away, make the wrong choice and return to their former way of life. Ironically, this occurs in John chapter 6, verse 66; the only place in the New Testament the numbering is 666. But we have an awesome example in John’s Gospel today, a witness who made the right choice. Peter, questioned by Jesus about leaving too, chooses and says, “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”! There it is; the right choice. Do we, with all the pressures of our world, with those things we knit pick apart, about the church, the liturgy and more, do we make the right choice?
Even in our 1st reading today, Joshua sets before the whole people a choice: “decide today whom you will serve”? Joshua may as well be asking us, decide today…who will we serve? Will we answer like Joshua did: “as for me and my household we will serve the Lord”. Will we answer the same way? Will we serve the Lord, in our household?
What does that look like? Will we love and support each other? Will our home look and act like a domestic church? Will we, like St. Paul encouraging us in our 2nd reading today, be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ? We know the quote, wives being subordinate. The language makes us nervous. But as a spiritual teaching it does not mean what we think it means. It means do we make the choice to follow Jesus. After all, St. Paul tells husbands, love your wife just as Christ loved the church. Again, this is a choice we can or can not make. Again, St. Paul is sharing with us the gift, freely given by the Lord, to make our lives, our homes and our marriages, all to serve the Lord and one another.
Next week, we will leave this 6th chapter of St. John and return to the Gospel of St. Mark. Have you read and prayed with this 6th chapter of St. John yet. It’s a free choice you can make. And in the week ahead, can we as families, discuss and pray with each other, answering this question: does our home and our relationships look like the domestic church? And as we prepare to come forward to receive the Eucharist in just a few minutes, do we make the free choice to receive Him worthily, free from mortal sin and firmly declaring He is true food and is true drink; the Body and Blood of the Lord?
Yes, in life we have many choices to make. Will we choose wisely? Like those captains on the playground picking their teams, we have already been chosen to be on His team; Jesus has chosen us! Will we choose Him? Will we be like Joshua choosing to serve the Lord or Peter choosing to declare Jesus as the Holy One of God?
Choose well; choose wisely!
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