First Reading (Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b)
Reading from the Book of Joshua.
In those days, Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and summoned the elders, the leaders, the judges and the officials, who came before God. 2a Then Joshua said to all the people, “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: the gods your ancestors served in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live. As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” And the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods. For it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He performed these great signs before our eyes and preserved us in all the ways we traveled and among all the peoples through whom we passed. Therefore we too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
– The word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
Second Reading (Ephesians 5:21-32)
Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians.
Brothers, you who fear Christ, be submissive to one another. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church, the Savior of his body. But just as the church cares for Christ, so also wives should care for their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. He wanted to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water and the Word. He wanted to present her to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any blemish, but holy and blameless. So also a husband ought to love his wife as his own body. He who loves his wife loves himself. No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church; and we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great, and I interpret it in relation to Christ and the Church.
– The Word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
Gospel (John 6:60-69)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, many of Jesus’ disciples who heard him said, “This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?” When Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about it, he asked them, “Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no use. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some among you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning who were the ones who did not believe and who would betray him. And he said to them, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” From that time on, many of the disciples went back and no longer walked with him. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
— The Word of the Savior.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Imagine that you are at a crossroads. The path before you divides into two distinct directions. One road is wide, paved, and seemingly easy to travel. The other is narrow, rocky, and full of curves and obstacles. Which would you choose? This image of choice, of decision, permeates our readings today, inviting us to reflect deeply on our journey of faith and our commitment to God.
In the first reading, Joshua gathers all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. This is no ordinary meeting. Shechem is a place full of history and meaning for the people of Israel. It was there that Abraham built his first altar to the Lord in the Promised Land. It was there that Jacob buried his family’s foreign idols. Now, in this sacred place, Joshua presents the people with a crucial choice:
“If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: the gods your fathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living.”
What a dramatic moment! Joshua is essentially saying, “Make up your minds! Are you with God or not?” There is no middle ground, no neutral position. It is a choice between the true God and false gods, between faithfulness and idolatry.
And then Joshua makes a powerful statement that echoes down the centuries to us today: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” What an example of leadership! Joshua is not just presenting the people with a choice; he is taking a firm stand, regardless of what others decide to do.
How many times in our lives do we face similar choices? We may not be tempted to worship gods of stone or wood, but we face the temptation daily to put other things in the place of God in our lives. Career, money, status, pleasure – all of these can become “gods” if we are not careful.
The people respond to Joshua’s exhortation with enthusiasm: “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!” They acknowledge all that God has done for them – deliverance from slavery in Egypt, protection during the wilderness journey, victory over their enemies. Their gratitude leads them to renewed commitment.
But we know that the story does not end there. The book of Judges tells us how, time and again, the people of Israel turned away from God, drawn to the gods of the surrounding nations. This reminds us that faithfulness is not a one-time decision, but a choice that we need to renew daily.
Turning to the second reading, we come across a text that has often been misunderstood and even used in harmful ways. Paul speaks about the relationship between husbands and wives, using the analogy of the relationship between Christ and the church. It is crucial to understand this text in its historical context and in light of Christ’s gospel of love and equality.
When Paul says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord,” he immediately balances this by telling husbands to love their wives “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” This is not a call to domination or subservience, but an invitation to sacrificial love for one another.
Think for a moment: How did Christ love the church? He emptied himself, took the form of a servant, and gave his life for us. This is the standard of love that Paul is setting for Christian marriages—a love that gives, that serves, that puts the other first.
Paul is challenging the cultural norms of his day by elevating the status of women and calling men to a higher standard of love and respect. He is painting a picture of partnership, not hierarchy—a dance of mutual love where both partners submit to one another in reverence for Christ.
This is a radical call to transform relationships. It is a daily choice to love as Christ loved, to serve as Christ served. It is an echo of Joshua’s challenge: to choose to serve the Lord not just in the temple, but in our homes, in our most intimate relationships. Finally, we come to the Gospel, where we find another scene of decision. Jesus has just made his shocking declaration about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Many of his disciples are scandalized. “This is a hard saying,” they say, “who can accept it?” We cannot underestimate how disturbing this teaching must have been to Jesus’ listeners.
To a Jew, the idea of drinking blood was absolutely repulsive, forbidden by the law. Jesus is challenging not only their sensibilities, but their fundamental understanding of the faith. And then many of his disciples “turned back and walked no more with him.” What a moment of crisis! Imagine Jesus’ heart at this moment, seeing many of those who had followed him turn their backs and walk away.
It is in this context that Jesus turns to the Twelve and asks the question that echoes down the centuries to us today: “Do you also want to go away?”
This is the question that each of us must answer. When Jesus’ teachings challenge us, when the path becomes difficult, when the world offers seemingly easier or more attractive alternatives, will we remain faithful?
Peter, in one of his most brilliant moments, responds with a declaration of faith that should be engraved on our hearts: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
What a profound truth! Where else would we go? What other source could satisfy the deep thirst of our souls? What other path could lead us to eternal life?
My dear brothers and sisters, today we are faced with the same choice that the people of Israel faced at Shechem, that the disciples faced in Galilee. Whom will we serve? Whom will we trust? Whom will we follow?
The world offers us many “gods”—success, comfort, immediate pleasure. But these are empty idols that ultimately leave us unsatisfied and empty. Only in Christ do we find the words of eternal life. Only in Him do we find the love that truly satisfies, the purpose that gives meaning to our existence.
Choosing to follow Christ is not easy. Like the narrow, rocky road in our opening image, the path of discipleship is often challenging. It requires us to deny ourselves, to love sacrificially, to remain faithful even when we don’t fully understand.
But it is on this path that we find true life. It is on this journey that we experience transformation, that we become more like Christ, that we discover our true identity as beloved children of God.
So today, I extend to you the same invitation that Joshua extended to the people of Israel: choose whom you will serve. I extend the same challenge that Paul extended to the Ephesians: love as Christ loved. And I repeat Jesus’ question: Do you want to leave too?
May our response echo Peter’s declaration: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” May we renew our commitment to Christ today, choosing to follow Him not only with our words, but with our daily actions, with our relationships, with our entire lives.
And may God’s grace strengthen us on this journey, sustain us in the hardships, and guide us ever closer to the One who is the source of all life and love. Amen.
