Joshua said to all the people, “If you be unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”Every one of us, at some time in our life, has been in the position of having to make a difficult choice. The complexity of the choice usually increases as we get older, but for most of our lives we’re faced with making choices – sometimes between two perfectly legitimate alternatives, but more often than not we have to make choices between something that is good for us, and something that would be bad for us. So whether it be our choice of friends, or what we’re going to eat, or where we’re going to college, or our life’s vocation, or what to do in some moral dilemma, making choices is part of life.- Joshua 24:15
Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”- St. John 6:67,68
We see it in the Book of Joshua, when he was challenging the people to reject all other gods and serve the one true God. He gathered the tribes of Israel together, and said to them, “If you’re unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” This was one of those times when the choice was stark, and a decision had to be made.
Another time we see a demanding choice crop up is in the sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel. It was in the great “Bread of Life” discourse given by Jesus, where He called Himself the “true bread from heaven.” He told the crowd around Him that “my flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him… he who eats this bread will live forever.” And when the people heard Christ’s words, their response was: “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”
So the crowds who had been following Jesus made a choice: they turned and left Him. His words were too hard for them, so they left. And what did He do? Did He run after them and say, “Wait! Let’s weigh the options here. I didn’t mean those things literally! I didn’t mean that you actually have to eat my flesh and drink my blood. I only meant it symbolically. I only meant you had to do it in a spiritual way.” No – Jesus didn’t do that. The choice to be made was a stark one, and He let the choice stand, even if it meant that the crowds left Him. And after they left, what did He do then? He turned to the twelve – those chosen to be His apostles – and He asked them “Will you also go away?” Another choice to be made – He was saying to them, “Choose, you apostles. Will you follow the crowd, or will you stand with me and with my words?”
Our belief about the Real Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar is a hallmark belief of the faithful Catholic. But there have been those throughout history who couldn’t accept this truth from Jesus, and the denial of this truth robs many otherwise faithful people of that direct communion our Saviour Jesus Christ. St. Peter summed it up: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” We must choose whether or not to believe what Christ has plainly and clearly said.
So often, people’s reactions to the words of Jesus – whether they be words about the sacraments, or words about our moral conduct, or words about salvation, or words about any number of things – so often, the reaction is like that of the crowd: “This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?” And when that question is asked, the next thing we see is what we saw in the Gospel account: people turn from Jesus, and go their own way, which is why there are thousands of protestant denominations and independent congregations today, all claiming to have the truth. And sadly, most everyone knows of someone who has left the Catholic Church because of one reason or another – perhaps because they didn’t like some teaching or other; or because the requirements of Catholic life were too difficult; or because the words of Christ spoken through the Church weren’t convenient, or their “lifestyle” was being cramped. And they think the answer is to walk away, as though by ignoring the truth they can somehow change it.
Imagine the sorrow Christ must have felt when some of His followers didn’t believe Him, and so left Him. And His sorrow is the same today, when someone leaves the Church, or when we ourselves reject something He has taught us. Imagine His sorrow as He looks upon our nation, and so many of our national leaders, who have rejected what would be considered a normal sense of morality. Surely, Christ weeps, and our nation really is facing yet another time of choice.
Look at what happened in the Gospel account. When the others left, He turned to His apostles and asked them if they were going to leave, too. Jesus turns to each and every one of us, every single day, and he asks, “Will you also go away?”
Our choices determine with whom we stand. So where do we stand? We need to stand with Peter and the other apostles, and give Jesus our answer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” And we need to stand with Joshua – “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
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Fresco: "The Twelve Apostles"
by Enrico Reffo (1831-1917)