In the gospel of the 22nd Sunday, today, we hear the conclusion of chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, and of people leaving Jesus, scandalised at the talk of his body being real food and his blood real drink.
Faith is a gift, and faith is a choice.
The first reading presents us with another moment of choice for Israel.
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem; then he called the elders, leaders, judges and scribes of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. Then Joshua said to all the people, ‘If you will not serve the Lord, choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord.’
The people answered, ‘We have no intention of deserting the Lord and serving other gods! Was it not the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples through whom we journeyed? What is more, the Lord drove all those peoples out before us, as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’
Joshua 24:1-2,15-18
- What helps you to say ‘yes’ to the Lord and the life to which you are called?
- What do you also say ‘no’ to?
Altar from the Cathedral, Marseille. © 2014, Allen Morris.
Living Eucharist 