Are You on My Side? – claretonline

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 22, Sunday

After Vatican II many were affected by the deeper insights in the Gospel and our faith which the Spirit had given to his Church: most were the result of deeper study or simply rediscoveries of neglected truths. To most people the renewal after the Council was like a deep breath of fresh air; but some went away sadly from the Church. They could not take it; there was no room for growth in their faith. Today Jesus asks us too: Can you grow in your faith? Do you choose me and my Church or do you stick to your own ideas? He invites us: choose me, grow in my life and my love.

First Reading: Joshua 24: 1-2,15-17, 18

Joshua called together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called in the elders, chiefs, judges, and officers. They presented themselves before God. Then Joshua addressed all the people:

“This is what God, the God of Israel, says: A long time ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived to the east of the River Euphrates. They worshiped other gods. I took your ancestor Abraham from the far side of The River. I led him all over the land of Canaan and multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac. Then I gave Isaac Jacob and Esau. I let Esau have the mountains of Seir as home, but Jacob and his sons ended up in Egypt. I sent Moses and Aaron. I hit Egypt hard with plagues and then led you out of there. I brought your ancestors out of Egypt. You came to the sea, the Egyptians in hot pursuit with chariots and cavalry, to the very edge of the Red Sea!

“If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.”

The people answered, “We’d never forsake God! Never! We’d never leave God to worship other gods.

“God is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along the roads we’ve travelled and among the nations we’ve passed through. Just for us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land.

“Count us in: We too are going to worship God. He’s our God.”

Second Reading: Ephesians5:21-33

Relationships

Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.

Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favour—since they’re already “one” in marriage.

No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honour her husband.

Gospel: John 6:60-69

Many among his disciples heard this and said, “This is tough teaching, too tough to swallow.”

Jesus sensed that his disciples were having a hard time with this and said, “Does this throw you completely? What would happen if you saw the Son of Man ascending to where he came from? The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen. Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this.” (Jesus knew from the start that some weren’t going to risk themselves with him. He knew also who would betray him.) He went on to say, “This is why I told you earlier that no one is capable of coming to me on his own. You get to me only as a gift from the Father.”

After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: “Do you also want to leave?”

Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.”

Prayer
Faithful God of the covenant,
in the daily choices we have to make
give us the courage to opt always
for your Son and his ways
and to remain close to him.
Bless the difficult road we sometimes have to take
without seeing where it will lead us.
Keep us from making half-hearted decisions
where we have not enough faith, and
to accept all the consequences of our choice.
Keep us always faithful
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflection:

Do you also want to leave?

A moment of crisis is a moment of choice. A crisis is a moment that forces us to make decisions. Is there anyone who has never come across moments of crisis in their lives – family crises, marriage crises, social crises, crisis in work? This pandemic is also a time of social crisis. Today’s gospel presents a moment of crisis in the life of the disciples of Jesus. “At that moment, many of his disciples left and no longer accompanied him,” says the Gospel. But Jesus refuses to dilute his message. Instead, he leads the apostles to make a decision. “Jesus said to the Twelve: Do you want to leave too? Make a decision.” (6:67) The answer of Peter becomes his second confession of faith: “Lord, who shall we go to? You have the words of eternal life and we have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” In the same way as in his first confession – “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” – here too, Peter may not have understood well the words of Jesus, to “eat my flesh, drink my blood” (cf 6: 54-56). But he trusts the Lord. Trust in God alone can help us to live in times of crisis. Pope Francis uses an expression from his native land of Argentina to explain this act of trust and faith. He says, “When you ride a horse and you have to cross a river, please do not change horses in the middle of the river.” In times of crisis, be very firm in your conviction of faith. Gospel says, “Many had left the company of Jesus.” They behaved like those who changed horses, and looked for another teacher who wasn’t as tough as Jesus was. In times of crisis what we need is perseverance, silence; stay firm where we are. This is not the time to make changes. It is a time of fidelity to God, of fidelity to the way of life we have chosen. May the Lord send us the Holy Spirit to be able to resist temptations in times of crisis, to know how to be faithful to the promises we have made to the Lord. Let us think of our crises: family crises, neighbourhood crises, crises in work. The moment of crisis is like passing through fire to become strong. Pope Francis urges the faithful to learn to manage both moments of peace and moments of crisis. To trust or not to trust Jesus is the choice every individual has to make. The proposal to welcome Jesus, the bread which came down from heaven can be accepted or rejected but not negotiated, modified, or made more acceptable by cancelling some of its demands.

Video available On Youtube: Do you also want to leave?

Do you also want to leave?

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