Lord Jesus, bread of life, help me make right decisions which reflect your mind and will. |
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You don’t get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you are going to live. Now.” These words of folk singer Joan Baez resemble the thought of Spanish philosopher and essayist José Ortega y Gasset who said, “Living is a constant process of deciding what we are going to do.”
Obviously, our lives are fraught with events and circumstances, people, places and things that require of us a choice. Some of these are of far greater importance than others. For example, the decision as to one’s course of study, a career, the married or the single life, the decision to allow an unborn child the freedom to live. All these decisions and choices should, insisted the late Thomas Merton, “enable us to fulfill the deepest capacity of our real selves.”
Unfortunately there can be times in any given life when a circumstance beyond our control is thrust upon us, leaving us, it seems, with no choice in the matter. When Viennese psychiatrist and neurologist Victor Frankl (Man’s Search For Meaning, NY, 1959) was interned in a Nazi concentration camp (1942-1945),he nevertheless retained his freedom of decision making. Though imprisoned under horrendous conditions, Frankl claimed to enjoy “the last of the human freedoms: to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance, to choose one’s own way.” Hence the importance of making right decisions for becoming fully who we are, fully human, fully alive.
Other voices speak a similar message to us today through the scriptures. In today’s first reading (Josh 24:1-2, 15-17, 18 ), Joshua, who succeeded Moses as the leader of the Israelites, challenged his brothers and sisters in the faith to decide whom they would serve. Would it be the God who had led them forth from Egypt and through the wilderness? Would it be the God who fed the hungry traveller with manna, quail and water from the rock, despite their sinfulness? Or would they turn to other gods? “ Decide today whom you will serve, “ charged Joshua, fully aware that the future of his people hinged upon their answer. Then, as if to set the tone and strike the path, Joshua announced his own decision: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
In today’s 2nd reading (Eph 5:21-32), the Ephesians author describes the proper behaviours of those who have decided to follow Christ. That decision should evoke a mutual caring, love and fidelity, such as that which Christ exercises toward the church. Christ’s decisions should inspire his followers. Do our decisions and their consequences reflect the mind and will of Christ?
In today’s Gospel (Jn 6:60-69), Jesus asks if his gift of himself as real food and real drink will be accepted and received, or will his words of invitation be considered too hard to endure or to take seriously? Decisions! Choices!
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