GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 19TH AUGUST 2017
SATURDAY OF THE NINETEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
FIRST READING: Joshua 24:14-29
PSALM: Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11
GOSPEL: Matthew 19:13-15
THEME: THE CHOICE
The ability to make choices is a God-given inalienable human right. Understandably, certain factors can inhibit this ability but the point still remains that inherent in each one of us is an innate capacity to decide our destinies. Some of the choices that face us are small and others are big. However, every choice we make, whether small or big, comes with its own consequences and we would have to live with it for a very long time.
In our First Reading, Joshua tells the Israelites: “…Choose this day whom you will serve…” (Jos. 24:15). He then adds: “…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Jos. 24:15). The Israelites had arrived in Canaan – the Promised Land. It must have been an exciting time for them after many years of loitering in the wilderness. The feeling of “finally” must have been very high. Finally, they had received the promise and their feet were standing in Canaan. Though an exciting time, it was also a dangerous time. There were many gods in Canaan. The indigenes of that Land made a god almost out of anything. There was the risk that in the midst of abundance, the Israelites would forget the God who had brought them there and then begin to serve other gods. Joshua thus confronted them with a choice to make — Choose this day whom you will serve.
During trying desert moments of life, it appears to be relatively easy to commit ourselves to God and serve him wholeheartedly. However, when the grace of God brings resolution to our issues and we experience what people affectionately call “breakthroughs” and get to our promised lands, we often forget God, at least partially. The time and space we allot to God in our daily lives gradually shrinks. Sooner or later, we bring in additional gods – persons and things that demand the devotion we once gave to God. We do not reject God completely but we become syncretic – half-hearted believers. We may present ourselves in Church alright but nothing really moves us to worship in Spirit and truth. In the House of God, we tend to focus on insignificant things – the dresses of people, the hardness of the pews we sit on, the diction of the lectors etc. We come to church cold and go home feeling even more cold. Often at the heart of the dissatisfaction we experience in our spiritual lives is a subtle rejection of God and an allegiance to smaller gods in our lives.
Today, Joshua speaks to each one of us – “Choose this day whom you will serve”. It is in giving our all to the Lord that we experience his all in our lives. If I choose the Lord, the whole of heaven will enter my life here on earth and I would experience first-hand what it means to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, I give my all to you. You are the Lord of my life and I am your servant. I choose to live no longer for myself but for you. Have your way in my life and do with me whatever pleases you. Amen
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).