To whom shall we go?
August 25, 2024 | 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Jos. 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Eph. 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32 or 5:2A, 25-32; Jn. 6:60-69
To whom shall we go ? You have the words of eternal life
Today’s liturgy challenges us to make a choice between the true God as opposed to false gods or idols; between wisdom as opposed to foolishness; between gratitude and ingratitude; between the eucharist as the true flesh of Jesus as opposed to the Eucharist as mere symbol; between following Jesus as opposed to continuing our former ways of life.
Shechem, a symbol of choice
After the Exodus and 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, it was the entry of Israel into Canaan. Just before his death Joshua gathers the twelve tribes of Israel to remind them of the covenant at Sinai. The meeting takes place at Shechem, a very important place where Abraham had an altar. Joseph was buried there (Joshua 24:32) and with the death of Solomon, Shechem became one of the first cities of the northern kingdom after the schism. What is more important here is that Shechem became the symbolism of choice. Jacob, in order to keep his faithfulness to God had obliged his family to abandon all the false gods and buried all the amulets and statutes under a tree a Shechem. Joshua as a leader too, invited the people of his time and us today to make a clear choice between serving God or idols. He makes clear his choice:
“As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” and “We also, like the people of Israel, will serve the Lord, for he is our God”.
You have the word of eternal life
Like Joshua and the people of Israel in the first reading, Peter, representing all believers who sometimes might struggle to understand the mystery of Christ's self-gift in the Eucharist, speaks on our behalf. Jesus is the Holy One of God and the eucharist is our only true source of life. It is the true place of worship and praise. Here true love is given and true life offered. It is a new exodus through which God listens, feeds, rescues us from troubles, delivers and protects us from our adversity (Ps. 34).When we recall what God has done for us in Christ, Jesus, we only have one answer:
“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.”
God is first in our lives. We should express this by living our faith in Jesus Christ daily.
Lord give us this bread always!
Living the Gospel this Week:
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” (Ephesians 5:32)
Meditate with these words of Venerable Fulton Sheen:
“It takes three to make love, not two: you, your spouse, and God. Without God, people only succeed in bringing out the worst in one another”.
Take 10 minutes to pray for and with your spouse this week. Take 10 minutes to pray for one couple that you know.
Happy Sunday!
Fr. Georges Roger BIDZOGO SAC