Friends,
This Sunday, the readings invite us to consider honestly the depth of our love for the Lord. The same challenging questions once put to the Israelites by Joshua and later to the disciples by Jesus are being asked of us today.
Today’s Gospel depicts a moment of crisis for Jesus’s followers. Some who have already said yes to him are now finding it difficult to accept his claim. Jesus wonders aloud how they will respond to what is to come.
In the First Reading, the people of Israel, too, are offered a clear choice: do they want to serve God or desert God? They respond by declaring: ‘We have no intention of deserting the Lord our God.’ In the mystery of spousal choice, submission, and loving service, the Second Reading offers us an allegory for the Church’s relationship to Christ.
The Psalm shows what this service looks, feels, and tastes like. It is in the form of the goodness of the Lord, who chooses to be close to us, especially in our distress.
This week, let’s trust in the closeness of the Lord, who offers us freedom, is good, and always works for our goodness.
Joy and peace.
