20240825 CHOOSING TO SERVE CHRIST IS TO CHOOSE LIFE
25 August 2024, Sunday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Joshua 24:1-2,15-18 |
We will serve the Lord, for he is our God
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.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):2-3,16-23 |
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The Lord turns his eyes to the just
and his ears to their appeal.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
They call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Many are the trials of the just man
but from them all the Lord will rescue him.
He will keep guard over all his bones,
not one of his bones shall be broken.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Evil brings death to the wicked;
those who hate the good are doomed.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.
Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Second reading |
Ephesians 5:21-32 |
Christ loves the Church, because it is his body
Give way to one another in obedience to Christ. Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything. Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her in water with a form of words, so that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless. In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church, because it is his body – and we are its living parts. For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body. This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 6:60-69 |
Who shall we go to? You are the Holy One of God
After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset 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 those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him.’ After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.
Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’
CHOOSING TO SERVE CHRIST IS TO CHOOSE LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JOS 24:1-2,15-18; PS 34:2-3,16-23; EPH 5:21-32; JN 6:60-69]
We all look for happiness and fulfilment in life. This is in our DNA, regardless whether we are believers or not. But where is happiness to be found? This is where we all differ. The world tells us that happiness is found in the things of this world; that happiness is guaranteed when one is successful in life – in our studies, in our career, in our business. Furthermore, they believe that with success, comes wealth, power, status and well-being. So, happiness is presumed.
This was also how the Israelites thought. When they were in Egypt, they complained of the lack of freedom, and the harsh treatment they received from their Egyptian masters. The Lord heard them, and liberated them from the slavery in Egypt. Now in the desert, facing shortages of nice food, they thought of the little luxuries they had in spite of their bondage. They complained to Moses, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” (Num 11:4-6). Even though they were liberated from slavery, they remained slaves to their creature comforts.
Whilst it is undeniable that to live happily we need the material things of life, these alone by themselves cannot fulfil us. Money and power can buy pleasure and positions, but they cannot buy genuine love and fulfilment. Material and physical needs have their saturation point. So, having the luxuries of life will certainly make life more comfortable, but not necessarily happier. I am not too sure whether our life now is much happier than when we were young and had much less. We lived simple lives, surrounded by lots of childhood friends, enjoyed the gifts of creation and were grateful for the little things we had, especially food. The desires of the flesh can easily be quenched, but not the desires of the human heart.
This was why Joshua gathered the tribes together and asked them to make a choice. “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.” Joshua was certain that the God of Israel would guarantee them not only prosperity and plenty but also preserve the community as one People of God. Through the commandments given to them, they were called to be a Covenanted People.
What about us? What is our choice? Would you choose the gods of the world – symbolized by wealth, power and glory, and worship them, or would you choose the Lord so that you can live a life of true freedom and happiness through service, caring for each other in the community, helping the weak and vulnerable, giving hope and encouragement to the downtrodden, and sharing our resources with others? Indeed, we need to ask ourselves, where does our loyalty lie? Is God just a backup or is He our Lord?
But we must be realistic as well. The fullness of life that Jesus is offering us might be too difficult for us to accept. Jesus said, “”If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?” (Mt 16:24-26). We read how the rich young man could not follow Jesus because of his attachment to his wealth. When Jesus told him, “‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” (Mk 10:21f)
Sometimes, the difficulty lies not just in the sacrifices we have to make for others, but in accepting the entire teaching of the scriptures. Hence we pick and choose those doctrines that we agree with and discard those that require us to give up certain preferences or lifestyles that we are attached to. We could be like the disciples that abandoned Jesus because they could not accept His hard teachings on the Eucharist. “After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?'” This is what many do as well. They say they love Jesus but they cannot accept the teachings of the Church or the gospel.
To opt for Jesus presupposes we have encountered His love. Otherwise, it would be difficult to make a radical choice for Him. This was the case of the Israelites too. Having seen how the Lord had accompanied them in their journey to the Promised Land, and how they were now enjoying true freedom from their enemies and living in a land of plenty, 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? We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” St Peter and the other apostles who had journeyed with the Lord chose to stick with Him because, as Peter said, “Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.” Even though the teachings of our Lord are difficult, not just to understand at times but even more difficult to live out, yet with faith in Jesus, it would be possible to do so.
Obedience is given fully only to those whom we love with our hearts. This explains the rationale behind Paul’s teaching with regard to marriage in his letter to the Ephesians. When St Paul wrote about wives submitting to the husbands, he also underscored how this obedience could be given. It presupposes, he said, that we want to obey Christ. “Give way to one another in obedience to Christ.” But we obey Christ only because “Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her in water with a form of words, so that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless.” Since Christ has given His life to us, it is possible to render Him our obedience, freely and joyfully, because He loves us unconditionally.
Similarly, if wives were to render obedience to the husband, it is only possible if husbands love their wives the same way Christ loved the Church. “In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church, because it is his body – and we are its living parts.” Only then is it possible to achieve real unity between husband and wife. Obedience does not make one a slave to the one whom obedience is given. Rather, it is a mutual giving of oneself. Hence, St Paul concludes, “For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body. This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church.”
What is left for us to do to choose Christ and the gospel and find life, is simply to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” This is the pre-requisite. Without which, it would not be possible to surrender our lives to Him, or render our obedience in faith out of love for Him; especially when the values He taught goes against the grain of the human heart and flesh. We need to taste and see His love before we can give ourselves entirely for Him. Indeed, only then can we say, “I will bless the Lord at all times.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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